Vorpal Eyes
by Strange Fuzz
Summary: Alice is forced to forget Wonderland before she can save it. Now, twenty six years later, her daughter is brought to the mad world...and Alice is stopping at nothing to find her.
1. It's a Part of Her

A/N: Just another disclaimer. I put one for everything in my profile, but this is just to make sure. None of the song lyrics are mine. They belong to the bands that wrote them.

* * *

Fire. 

It took her home.

Her family.

Her sanity.

Alice was eight years old. She was found spread out on the snow in front of the burning house. By the time the fire was extinguished there was nothing left. Only a garden of charred rubble…and bones. He was there when she was lifted on a stretcher and carried to the ambulance, still conscious.

He had gingerly placed his hand on hers, avoiding where she had been burned. In an effort to comfort her, he said, "It's okay. You're alive."

Her face was stained with tears. Without looking at him, she said, "I shouldn't be."

She passed out.

"Doctor?"

The doctor lifted his head up, pulled out of the memory. The nurse was standing in the doorway of his office, looking concerned. "You wanted to see me?"

He stood up, pulling a bottle off of his desk. "Yes. I've got it."

Unscrewing the cap of the bottle, he tilted it slightly to show her the contents. She looked over, her face the picture of curiosity. The bottle was filled with red liquid and had a slight smell of raspberries. "What exactly is 'it'?"

He smiled, truly smiled, something she hadn't seen him do for a long time. Now that she thought about it, no one had seen him truly smile since Alice was admitted to the hospital. He screwed the cap back on. "It's for Alice. I think I've finally found a cure for her. The proper amount should cause her to forget all about Wonderland. Of course, she'll need to take it daily, even after she gets released."

Already he was out the door and walking rather quickly to Alice's room. The nurse trotted to his side. "You're sure this will work?"

He stopped and pulled a small ring of keys out of his pocket. "Of course." He pushed the door open.

Before he entered the room, the nurse stepped in front of him. "Wait. Is this really right?"

He looked at her with slight disbelief. "Right?"

She said quietly, "I mean…you're just going to suddenly make her forget? Isn't that too sudden? We should help put Wonderland behind her, not force her to forget it."

The doctor gently pushed her out of his way. "_Wonderland _is only a dream. I have a chance to wake her up. Eight years of her life have been spent in this hospital, and more than half of those years were spent in a coma. She's fourteen now. There's still time for her to have a normal life. A life outside these walls. I have a chance to help her live that life, and I'm taking it."

He walked in, followed by the reluctant nurse. Alice was sleeping peacefully, for the moment. There were nights when her screams and struggles were so loud and violent that the nurse wondered whether the girl was lost in a dream or a nightmare.

Dr. Wilson took the cap off the bottle and held it to Alice's lips. He tipped it so that a little bit of the medicine drizzled into her mouth. "Alice…I know you can hear me. Alice…Alice…" She stirred slightly, but didn't respond. He tilted the bottle again. "Listen to me, Alice." She started to groan.

"There is no Wonderland, Alice."

He tilted it again.

"There never was a Wonderland."

He tilted it again.

Her sleep was growing fitful now, the nurse could see it. Alice was starting to twist and groan. Her hand flew up and grabbed the doctor's wrist, trying to force the bottle away. Medicine was leaking from the corner of her mouth as she tried to fight him off. Her moaning grew louder, and the doctor removed the bottle from her lips.

"You're dreaming Alice. WAKE UP."

Alice screamed.

* * *

The thundering of the waterfall echoed around the Valley of Tears. Alice stood in front of it, watching the nimble form of the Rabbit dart towards the beginning of the ledges that would help him scale the cliff. The Cheshire Cat appeared next to her. "Are you planning ahead or simply enjoying the view?" 

Alice gave a short laugh. "I've learned that Rabbit isn't always the most reliable one to follow."

The Cat shrugged. "You've learned quite well."

As she watched Rabbit draw closer to the cave, a bizarre feeling swept through her. The whole world was starting to shift around her, and everything seemed to be melting. The sound of the waterfall grew distant and in its place she heard someone calling her name. "What…?"

"Beg pardon?" the Cat said, not looking at her.

She blinked and looked around. Rabbit was still running, and the Cat was still watching with mild interest. She was about to reply when a strange taste filled her mouth. The world started spinning again, and she gasped when a sharp pain jabbed her stomach.

"Alice?" This time the Cat looked over at her. His grin disappeared.

* * *

Filling his lungs with moist air, Rabbit soared over the small gap that separated the rocks from the clearing. He turned quickly and started bounding up the waterfall. He knew there was a cave halfway up that would take him straight to where he wanted to be. He also knew that Alice would have to take the long way around. Taking such a long head start wasn't very fair, but he couldn't resist a little mischief. He was the White Rabbit, and he wasn't one to wait around. 

He heard a crash resonate on a higher ledge and knew immediately that one of the army ants had thrown a boulder over the cliff to bar his path. He smirked inwardly. With his speed, he'd make it to the cave with time to spare.

That is, he would have made it if the Cat's voice hadn't stopped him. "RABBIT!"

The stern call froze Rabbit in his tracks. He looked down and saw Alice doubled over on the ground. The Cat was sitting close to her, her hand clasped in his paws. "GET DOWN HERE!"

Rabbit looked at the cave just in time to see it barricaded by the boulder. He spun on his heel and started dashing down the rocks. What panicked him more than seeing Alice in danger was the Cat's voice. He had never heard the Cheshire Cat yell before, and his usually relaxed tone had a hint of fear.

_Fear._

Just the thought of the word leant wings to his feet.

* * *

Alice squeezed her eyes shut, the pain in her stomach growing unbearable. She raised her head to look at her friends. Something felt like it was dripping from her lips. She put her hand to her mouth, finally recognizing the strange taste. It was the taste of raspberries. When she pulled her hand away it was coated in watery red liquid, too watery to be blood. 

"Cat…Rabbit…" she moaned, trying to rid her mouth of the liquid, "What's happening…to me?"

They were sliding in and out of focus, their words fading away before she could understand them. "Alice…hold on…"

She bent over again. This time it felt like a cold, invisible hand was reaching through her body. Through her body and into her soul. Slowly…painfully...long fingers wrapped around something that was a part of her…

And started to pull it out.

A moan that turned into a scream of pain exploded from her as the unseen hand tore something that was real and alive from her soul. She took a last look at the Cat and Rabbit and saw their horrified, wide eyes. The waterfall and valley disappeared. Her friends were drained of color, making them look like ghosts…

She was fading away. Her hands disappeared like smoke from their paws.

* * *

Alice opened her eyes in Rutledge's mental hospital. The doctor was standing next to her bed and the nurse was standing by the door. 

He placed a bottle on a small table. "Alice…do you remember Wonderland?"

_Alice…_

She looked up at him. "Wonderland?"

_Come back…_

He nodded.

_Remember…_

The voices faded out of her head. Wonderland. It sounded familiar…

Her eyes blank, she asked him, "What is that?"

* * *

Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you  
Ghosts are now waiting for you  
Are you...  
Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you  
Ghosts are now waiting for you  
Are you...  
Dreaming  
Dreaming the night  
Dreaming all right 

Do we  
Do we know  
When we fly?  
When we, when we go  
Do we die?

Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you  
Ghosts are now waiting for you  
Are you...  
Sweet berries ready for two ghosts are no different than you  
Ghosts are now waiting for you  
Are you...  
Dreaming  
Dreaming the night  
Dreaming all right

Do we  
Do we know  
When we fly?  
When we, when we go  
Do we die?

Do we  
Do we know  
When we fly?  
When we, when we go  
Do we die?

_-System of a Down  
__Question!_


	2. The Field

Alice sat down in the rocking chair by the window. It was mid-morning and the sunlight that poured in was spread across her lap. She smoothed out her sky blue dress and sighed. The house was out in the country, backed by woods. Dr. Wilson made sure it would be peaceful, but still in walking distance from the town. It was a tranquil way of life, but she couldn't help feeling alone.

The warmth from the sun was starting to make Alice drowsy. She leaned her head back, closed her eyes, and let her mind drift. It wasn't long before her thoughts centered on what had happened in her life since leaving Rutledge's. Dr. Wilson found this house for her. He handed her the bottle of medicine and told her that when she needed more, she could walk into town and see him. She closed her eyes tighter.

She was starting to remember…

Bad memories.

Memories she didn't want.

It happened one night when she was leaving town. She had gone to the hospital later than usual, and left later as a result. Her home wasn't very far. She thought she'd be safe. So she was caught entirely off guard when someone pulled her into a dark alley.

After that everything went black.

When she woke up she was back in Rutledge's and almost completely re-hospitalized. Several months later, at twenty six years old, she gave birth to Vira, her only child. The doctor said he couldn't give her any medication to forget that event. Vira would need to know how and why she existed. After that, he sent her a new bottle every few weeks.

Alice shivered, even though the sun was still strong and warm on her face. She hated to think that of all people, it had happened to her. But in a way, she was glad. If it hadn't been for that, she wouldn't have Vira.

Vira.

The thought of her daughter made her smile. Vira helped her not to feel alone. Her shoulder-length auburn hair and pale skin was a mirror image of Alice. The only striking difference between them was their eyes. Alice's eyes were a brilliant emerald green, their youthful twinkle softened by many years. Vira's were like the sky after a storm, a soft, cloudy grey, still alive with spirit and curiosity.

Alice opened her eyes, gazing out the window at the forest behind the house. Vira was out in the forest, exploring the paths like she did everyday. Alice sat up and looked at the sunlight. The rays had moved from her lap to the floor. How long had she been thinking? How long had Vira been in the woods? When she called her name, would her daughter hear her?

She walked to the back door and leaned outside. "Vira!"

* * *

Out in the grassy fields, the sun radiated heavy and hot on the ground. In the woods, it was exactly the opposite. Patches of light shined through gaps in the tree branches, illuminating the forest with soft light. Vira walked down the wide path, slowly taking in what was around her. Their house, the fields, and the forest were all Vira really knew. She didn't mind, though. They were all that mattered. To her, those three things could be the whole world. 

She stopped where the path did. It wound a long way into the woods, but stopped at an enormous field of white flowers. She wasn't quite sure why she never ventured into the field. Perhaps she thought it was going too far? She didn't want to stray too far from the house. Even though she loved the forest, Vira didn't like being away from her mother for too long.

The fourteen year old sat down on a nearby rock, brushing a leaf off her black dress. Her thoughts drifted away from the flowers, and she started thinking about her mother. Once everyday, Alice would take a dose of her raspberry-smelling medicine. Sometimes more than once. When Vira asked her why, Alice suddenly looked unhappy and rather confused. After a long pause, Alice said that she took it because the doctor told her to.

There were a lot of things Vira didn't know about her mother. Alice never spoke about her childhood, and she sincerely didn't know why she took her medicine. Vira _did _know what happened when Alice was twenty six. She couldn't suppress a shudder. _That _she knew about.

She was stood up and was about to start walking home. When she took a last look at the flowers, something on the other side of the field caught her eye. A white rabbit was sitting on its hind legs, looking over the flowers. It appeared to be looking directly at her. She jumped slightly when a grey cat popped up next to the rabbit. That was strange. She thought cats liked to chase rabbits, but this cat wasn't moving. Neither one was moving. They were both staring…at her.

She took a deep breath and was about to step onto the field when Alice's voice echoed through the trees.

"Vira!"

Not wanting to worry her mother, she shouted back, "Coming, mum!" After taking one last glance at the two strange animals, she turned and sprinted back through the woods, jumping over rocks and tree roots.

* * *

Alice sighed with relief when Vira emerged from the woods. "Why don't we have some tea?" 

Vira nodded and followed her mother into the house.

When she sat down at the small table near the back window, Alice noticed that Vira was looking out at the woods, as if she was trying to see something. "Vira? What are you looking at?"

She turned away from the window. "Nothing…I just saw a white rabbit before. Usually we only see the brown ones."

Alice was staring down at the table. "A white one…that's…odd." She was starting to hear voices. Faint voices, calling her name. Her head was starting to hurt, like something in the back of her mind was trying to force its way forward. She reached for the bottle of medicine. The doctor told her to take it whenever she got that feeling.

Alice took a gulp of the medicine. The voices faded away and her head stopped throbbing. She looked over at Vira. "I…I don't want you in the woods anymore."

Vira looked at her in disbelief. "What? Why not?"

Alice put the bottle down. "Because I don't think it's a good idea."

A fire of injustice flared inside of Vira. She stood up. "You told me to stay out of the open fields. Now the forest too? Well _I _think that you taking that disgusting medicine isn't a good idea!"

Alice stood up to face her daughter across the table. "Sit down. I said you aren't going in the woods anymore."

Vira swung her hand forward and knocked the bottle over. Half of the medicine poured out of it before Alice could pick it up. Vira turned and ran to the back door. "I'm going in the woods and you aren't stopping me!"

After a quick moment of hesitation, Alice went after her.

* * *

With all the speed she could muster, Vira charged across the backyard to the shade of the forest. Her thoughts were jumbled and blurred, like the sight of the trees as she ran down the path she knew so well. Why did Alice suddenly ban her from the woods she held so dear? What was that medicine for anyway? Why was her mother such a mystery? 

She skidded to a stop in front of the field of flowers. It wasn't long before she saw the white rabbit, then the grey cat. The time to cross the field was now. She walked slowly into the flowers, being careful to avoid stepping on as many as possible. She worked her way across, drawing closer to the two animals. When she was just about to reach out and touch the rabbit, it turned and sprinted into a hole. The cat followed it, its sleek form disappearing as well. Vira knelt on the ground and peered into the hole, trying to see how deep they had gone.

Suddenly it felt like the earth was shifting beneath her. The ground opened up and she fell headfirst into the rabbit hole, her scream echoing across the empty field.

* * *

Alice reached the door just in time to see her daughter vanish into the woods. She ran out into the backyard, the grass still wet with dew. Vira knew the forest. Alice didn't. She slowly turned and went back to the house. It was strange how the mention of a rabbit made Alice's head hurt. 

_Alice…_

She spun around, hoping to see Vira at the edge of the forest, calling her name. There was no one there.

_Alice…_

Frightened, Alice hurried back to the house and wrenched the door open. "Medicine…I need it…there's still some left…"

She dashed in and ran to the table. Her boots, still covered in dew from the grass, slid on the hardwood floor. She fell forward and pain exploded in her head as it collided with the table.

Alice was unconscious before she hit the ground.

* * *

Twenty six years and seems like I've just begun to understand my intimate is no one. When the director sold the show, who bought its last rites? They cut the cast, the music, and the lights. This is my line. This is eternal. How did I ever end up here? Discarnate. Preternatural. My prayers to disappear, ungranted in dead time left me disowned, absent of grace, marked as infernal. To this nature, so unnatural. I remain alone. Twenty six years end. Still speaking in these tongues. Such revelations while understood by no acquired taste. Give me something. Give me something. Give me something real. I lay strewn across the floor, can't solve this puzzle. Everyday another small piece can't be found. I lay strewn across the floor pieced up in sorrow. The pieces are lost, these pieces don't fit. Pieced together incomplete and empty. 

_-AFI  
__...but home is nowhere_


	3. A Grave Mistake

Colors and sounds were all Vira could understand as she fell. Thoughts of the rabbit and cat were pushed completely out of her mind. She tried to get her bearings, but it was impossible for her to even think. She didn't know which way was up. The air rushed loudly in her ears, the blackness overwhelming her. Suddenly the dark that surrounded her flashed to an electric blue light that seared her closed eyes. She shut her eyelids tighter, wishing she would land so it would all end.

She heard the thump as her body hit solid ground.

_No more falling…it's over…_

She took a deep breath. She was still breathing. Still alive. The sound of rushing air was replaced with the sound of rushing water. It sounded like she was near a river.

A river in a rabbit hole?

Vira rolled over onto her back.

_Where am I…?_

"Alice…"

Someone was saying her mother's name. Was her mother here?

"Welcome back."

Vira opened her eyes and froze in shock. A twisted rabbit in a tattered waistcoat and top hat was leaning over her. "Alice?"

She slid backwards and stood up, her eyes locked on his wrinkled features. Something grasped her shoulder and turned her around. She screamed.

"You must remember us _now_, Alice." A skeletal gray cat was sitting there, his heavily clawed paw on her shoulder. Tribal tattoos laced his legs, back, and face. A grin full of sharp, red-stained teeth flickered on his dangerous features. Immediately his yellow eyes narrowed. He shoved her forcefully against a rock wall and held his face close to hers.

He looked straight into her eyes and snarled, "You aren't Alice."

Her confusion and terror became too much. Vira burst into tears, sliding to the ground as the cat stepped back. His wicked features softened and he looked apologetic.

The rabbit shook his head. "That was uncalled for. It isn't her fault, it's ours. She looks _exactly _like Alice."

The cat sighed. "I remember Alice. I remember her eyes." He looked over at Vira, tears still spilling down her cheeks. "I'm sorry child. I should have known you weren't Alice. I should have known we would never be saved."

Vira wiped her eyes with her apron. Her head was spinning with so many questions. She wanted to ask where she was or who they were, but instead she said, "Alice…Liddell?"

Their hopeful eyes locked onto hers. The rabbit held out a white paw to help her to her feet. Now she could see that he had a faint resemblance to the white rabbit in the field. "Can you tell us where she is, child?"

Vira dried her eyes a little more to delay herself form taking the creature's paw. "I'm her daughter…Vira."

He smiled. "The similarity is striking. She still doesn't remember, does she?"

The cat scoffed and walked down the bank of the river. He sat down a short distance away, his back to them. "Alice forgot all about us once she started taking that medicine."

"Is that what she took it for?" Vira said, her curiosity rising. Maybe she could finally solve the puzzle that was her mother's past.

The rabbit nodded. "We never used to be like this. But after what happened in Alice's childhood, she was sent to Rutledge's. For a few years she was able to help us, but then…" he sighed heavily. "The medicine. In a sort of hypnotic state we were pushed deep into her subconscious, never to be remembered. If she only stopped taking it for even a day…"

"What happened in her childhood?" Vira asked quickly.

The cat turned his head and looked back at them. "Rabbit…"

Rabbit sighed and said, "I'm not the one that needs to tell you, and neither is the Cheshire Cat. When the time is right, Alice will tell you all."

The Cat walked back over to them, his tail swishing methodically. "Time…very few of us choose to keep it…" At this remark, Rabbit pulled out a handsome pocket watch and checked it carefully. The Cat ignored him. "We don't age quickly here. It's been twenty six years, and though we find ourselves the same in many ways, we are altered in very many more. Without a savior, our world is slowly…fading…away."

The hopelessness in his words made Vira's heart sink. Already she was wishing for her woods, her house…

Her mother…

"I wish I could help you," Vira said, choking back a sob, "but I still don't understand. I don't even know where I am. I want to see my mother again…I want to go home…"

Rabbit looked down, avoiding her grey eyes. "I'm sorry, Vira. But…you can't."

Tears flowed over her cheeks again. "Why not?"

"You are from the Outside world. That means you can't leave Wonderland until we are restored." He watched as she walked down the river bank in the same manner the Cat had.

When Vira got closer to the edge she realized that she was on top of a cliff and the river dropped over the side in a mighty waterfall. "Wonderland? Is that what this place is called?" She wiped her new tears away. "None of this makes sense."

Rabbit placed a consoling paw on her shoulder. "I'm afraid I don't have much information, since most of what I know is impossible to explain. But I do know that the Caterpillar can help you." Vira looked up, her hopes slightly rising.

The Cheshire Cat nodded. "Rabbit, you need to find Alice." He looked at Vira. "You aren't ready to be out here on your own. Not yet. I'll help you to the best of my abilities for the time being."

It took nearly all of the courage Vira had left to speak to the Cat. "Shouldn't we wait here for Alice?" She dimly wondered why she was using her mother's first name.

The look in the Cat's eyes made her want to shrink back against the wall. "Would you rather help save innocent lives, or wait here for help that may never come?"

She didn't respond. Rabbit had already left to find Alice and wasn't there to back her up. She wasn't afraid of him anymore…but she still felt shaken up from her first impression of the Cat. The thought of being alone with the creature didn't help at all.

His voice was stern, like a teacher that didn't want to be asked questions. "Follow me, child."

He led her away from the cliff's edge, farther down the river. The flow of the water grew calm as they reached a lake. Another, swifter river was fed by the other end of the lake. Vira looked around in awe. The forest they were in was huge. The leaves that were scattered on the ground were big enough for both of them to stand on. This appeared to be the Cat's intention as he pushed a nearby leaf into the water. He stood on one end and held Vira's wrist, gently pushing her to the other end to balance it out.

When the makeshift boat moved smoothly over the rough water, Vira sat down quickly. She thought she saw a smile jump to the Cat's face, but it was gone in a heartbeat. He had a vibe that told her to remain distant. He didn't want to get close. He was helping her for Alice, no more. As the leaf slid down a small waterfall, she shivered. It was as though his cold attitude was chilling her to the bone.

"Army ants," he said rather suddenly. Vira followed his eyes to the shores, but saw no one. "They were everywhere, when there was the possibility that Alice was coming back. But…she never made it past the waterfall. They returned to the fortress, with Centipede certain he would rule forever."

Vira wasn't sure if the Cat expected a response. She swallowed her fear and asked, "Is that where we're going?"

The Cat continued staring over her head at the barren shores. "_I'm _not going there. And you aren't either. Alice will be back soon and she can fulfill Caterpillar's prophecy. Wonderland _will_ be saved…" he sounded like he only half-believed in what he said, and was trying to convince himself. "…Wonderland will be saved."

Vira stayed silent and attempted to control her thoughts. One answered question raised so many more. Caterpillar? Centipede? Army ants? She stared at the rushing water, imagining her mind a cascading river that she was struggling in.

The Cat switched directions several times, speaking no more. At last they slid from the rapids into a mirror-like pond surrounded by mist. The Cat paddled the leaf to the shore where a dark structure was obscured by fog.

Vira climbed off after him, listening intently to his instructions. "The Mock Turtle is waiting for you around the back of the Duchess's house." He pointed to the barely visible object towering behind the sheet of mist. "He'll take you safely to the other end of the woods. Rabbit will meet you there."

"Where are you going?" Vira said. She still wasn't comfortable around the Cat, but she didn't want to be left alone so quickly.

He looked at her, slightly reproachful. "To help Rabbit. We need Alice now more than ever. She needs to know that you're here and you aren't supposed to be."

He disappeared without a trace, much to Vira's surprise. She looked around the clearing, wishing she could sit down and cry. With a deep breath, fighting the urge to sob, she turned and walked through the mist to the house of the Duchess.

* * *

Suffering from something we're not sure of  
In a world there is no cure for  
These lives we live test negative for happiness  
Flat line, no pulse, but eyes open  
Single file like soldiers on a mission  
If there's no war outside our heads  
Why are we losing? 

I don't ask for much  
The truth be told I'd settle for  
A life less frightening, a life less frightening  
I don't ask for much  
The truth be told I'd settle for  
A life less frightening, a life less frightening

Hang me out to dry I'm soaking  
With the sense of knowing  
What's gone wrong but doing nothing I still run  
Time again I have found myself stuttering  
Foundations pulled out from under me  
This breath is wasted on them all  
Will someone answer me?

I don't ask for much  
The truth be told I'd settle for  
A life less frightening, a life less frightening  
I don't ask for much  
The truth be told I'd settle for  
A life less frightening, a life less frightening

Is there a God tonight?  
up in the sky or is it empty just like me (Just like me)  
A place where we can hide out from the night  
Where you are all I need (Where you are all I need)  
So all he says, Goodbye and close your eyes  
Tell me what you see (Tell me what you see)  
A life I sit inside this dream of mine  
Where you are all I see

I don't ask for much  
The truth be told I'd settle for  
A life less frightening, a life less frightening  
I don't ask for much  
The truth be told I'd settle for  
A life less frightening, a life less frightening

_-Rise Against  
Life Less Frightening_


	4. What They Used to Be

The Cat slid out of the rabbit hole, appearing as a plain grey cat with no visible grin. He found Rabbit sitting in the field, not far from the portal. "Well?"

"The back door was open, so I looked in. She looks like she fell, she's knocked out cold. I don't know how long it's been or how much longer it will be." He turned his gaze away from the still woods. After a moment of silence, Rabbit said carefully, "Why must you shut her out?"

"What?" the Cat said, knowing in the back of his mind that Rabbit was talking about Vira.

Rabbit turned around. "You know what I mean. I saw how you acted around her. I never thought that you, the enigmatic and open minded Cheshire Cat, would act so coldly towards someone, especially the daughter of our dear Alice."

"But that's exactly it," the Cat said, wishing he didn't see the sense in what Rabbit was saying, "she's Alice's daughter. Caterpillar's prophecy said that a savior would come to Wonderland. Alice is the one who…"

Rabbit cut him off, and the Cat gave up his argument. "The prophecy simply says that a savior would come. Alice was never mentioned. For all we know…Vira could be the answer. You give very good advice, but you need to learn how to follow it. You told her you would help her, yet you refuse to even smile at her. What will Alice think if she sees how you've treated the child?"

The Cat didn't respond. They sat in the field, not speaking, not moving. The cool spring breeze swayed the flowers, rustling them against the paws of the two creatures. The Cat's yellow eyes turned up from the ground. In the silence of the forest, the reasoning of his companion had finally reached him. Vira was alone.

Near the Duchess's house.

He turned swiftly and started towards the portal.

"Where are you going?" Rabbit called.

The Cat didn't turn around as he replied, "To help Vira. You stay near Alice. We still need her." He started walking faster until he was nearly running to the rabbit hole. If Vira got too close to the house…

It sent chills down his spine, thinking about what might happen. He dove into the portal, Rabbit's words scrolling through his mind over and over again.

* * *

Vira got closer to the building, half fearful and half awed. She could only guess what a Mock Turtle was, and all the Cat had told her was that it was waiting behind the house. She strode off to the side, but something was drawing her to the front porch. She walked cautiously up the steps, staring at the door. It was made of playing cards. When she stepped on the rotting wood of the porch, Vira suddenly had a feeling that she had gone too far. Her brain screamed to get away, but her legs wouldn't respond. The house had an eerie force, and it was pulling her in. 

Closer…

Touch the door…

Reach out and…

The door burst open and a gust of wind pulled her inside. It slammed shut as quickly as it had opened, and she fell on a hard stone floor. She picked herself up and pushed the door.

It wouldn't budge.

She threw all her weight against it, each attempt more forceful than the last. Panic was rising inside her. She was trapped, and the only way to go was down the slanted hallway. Fighting back more tears, Vira turned away from the sealed door and walked into a large room. Shelves packed with bottles were hung crookedly on the stone walls. Two wooden tables sat on each side of a fireplace.

Vira sighed and said to no one in particular, "Now what? It's a dead end."

She jumped when a voice she hadn't been expecting answered her. "Too true, my dear."

The room stretched wider and something emerged from the hearth. Vira stumbled backwards, trying to put as much distance between herself and the fireplace as she could. The smoke that encircled it cleared, and what she saw horrified her more than her first glimpse of Wonderland.

A twisted woman was standing in the middle of the room. Her once elegant gown was torn and charred so much that, to Vira, it looked like she had just crawled out of the deepest pit of Hell. The girl could tell by the flowing headdress that this being was none other than the Duchess.

"You look rather familiar…" The Duchess started walking slowly towards Vira, who backed up even more. "…Alice?"

Vira was at a loss for words. She stepped backwards again and was stopped by an iron grate that blocked off the hallway. "N-n-no…" The Duchess was eyeing her like a hungry dog, waiting for its prey to flee so it could give chase in a truly gruesome victory.

"No matter," the Duchess said, taking a pepper shaker off of one of the shelves, "you'll taste just the same."

Vira leaped sideways as the Duchess crashed into the bars. She let out a scream when the creature rounded on her, holding the pepper shaker like a knife. Vira threw herself sideways again and the Duchess missed her…but only just. Caught up in the moment, Vira had little time to think. The Duchess charged her again and Vira moved to the side once more.

This time the predator sidestepped with her, throwing the pepper straight into her face. Her nose and lungs rejected the spice, and it sent her into a violent coughing fit. A claw-like hand grabbed the front of Vira's dress and lifted her off the ground. Vira kicked her legs out, trying to force the Duchess to drop her. The blinding pepper clogged her senses, adding to the pandemonium. She blinked her eyes hard and fast to clear the seasoning from her vision and saw the Duchess's gaping mouth full of sharp, crooked teeth.

"LET GO OF HER!"

Suddenly, with a howl of pain, the Duchess released Vira. The girl dropped to the ground and crawled out of the way so she could catch a glimpse of her rescuer. The Cheshire Cat was clawing at the Duchess's back until she lost her balance and fell. He flashed from behind her to next to her, his teeth sinking deep into her throat.

The pepper shaker rolled out of her limp hand.

Wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his paw, the Cheshire Cat stood up and walked over to Vira. "Are you alright?"

Vira tore her eyes from the Duchess's corpse. "I think so."

The room was changing. She looked around as everything was slowly drained of color. Vira and the Cat were the only things that weren't being reduced to black and white, like a photograph. The colors swirled together and the corpse disappeared. When everything settled back in its place, the scene Vira beheld was like nothing she had ever seen before.

A girl that could have been her twin was standing next to a stool. Seated on the stool was the Duchess, very much alive, holding a baby. Someone else was standing nearby, cooking. At the cook's feet was a much healthier looking Cheshire Cat. Vira looked beside her. The gaunt cat was still sitting there. "Cat…is that…Alice?"

The Cat looked at the girl standing next to the stool. "It is. When they are slain, you will see them as Alice knew them. This is what they were like before they were taken over by evil and hatred."

Vira watched them, like she was watching a dream.

* * *

"_There's certainly too much pepper in that soup!" Alice said to herself, as well as she could for sneezing. _

_There was certainly too much of it in the air. Even the Duchess sneezed occasionally; and as for the baby, it was sneezing and howling alternately without a moment's pause. The only things in the kitchen that did not sneeze were the cook, and a large cat which was sitting on the hearth and grinning from ear to ear. _

"_Please would you tell me," said Alice, a little timidly, for she was not quite sure whether it was good manners for her to speak first, "why your cat grins like that?"_

"_It's a Cheshire cat," said the Duchess, "and that's why. Pig!" _

_She said the last word with such sudden violence that Alice quite jumped; but she saw in another moment that it was addressed to the baby, and not to her, so she took courage, and went on again._

"_I didn't know that Cheshire cats always grinned. In fact, I didn't know that cats __could__ grin." _

"_They all can," said the Duchess, "and most of 'em do." _

"_I don't know of any that do," Alice said very politely, feeling quite pleased to have got into a conversation. _

"_You don't know much," said the Duchess, "and that's a fact."__

* * *

_

They faded away and the room returned to normal. Color flushed everything once again, and the Duchess's body lay bleeding on the floor. 

Vira looked at the Cat. "Thank you."

He walked over to one of the walls and lifted something off of a shelf. When he brought it back to her, Vira carefully took it from his paws. It was a croquet mallet with a flamingo's head on the end. The beak of the flamingo was curved and sharp, and every few seconds a blue electric current flashed through it. "What is this for?"

"Surely you need a weapon," the Cat said, looking at it with admiration, "you had no way to defend yourself. I'm not sure how it fell into the Duchess's hands, but she won't have much use for it anymore." He glanced over at the body. "I couldn't give you the knife, of course…that was Alice's favorite…"

One of the walls at the other end of the room swung open, and someone who could only be the Mock Turtle walked through. "Is she dead?"

"Does she look it?" The Cat said, bearing his teeth in a grin. "This is Vira, the daughter of Alice. You'll need to take her to the other end of the Woods."

The Turtle looked at her. "Daughter? She could be Alice herself."

The Cat looked into Vira's grey eyes again. "Not quite."

They followed him through the wall and to the back of the late Duchess's house. A small, dark pond was nearly hidden under an arching tree root. The Turtle led Vira to it. "The waterway is dangerous. Stay close to my bubbles. You'll manage, I'm sure."

The Cat gave her a farewell grin as she plunged into the cold water, holding the croquet mallet tightly in her right hand.

* * *

Two skies and just one moon  
How could you change your mind so soon?  
Two skies that don't agree  
We only look at what we want to see 

Hear the grass, it sings  
Even in the silent spring  
Rip out the seed  
And watch it bleed

Two lives and just one dream  
I guess it's never really what it seems  
Two lives and just one home  
And either one of them is still alone

Hear the grass, it sings  
Even in the silent spring  
Rip out the seed  
And watch it bleed

There's one for the slacker and one for the sly  
One for the little girl that never cried  
One for the loser and one for the lame  
One for the little guy that never came

Two skies and just one moon  
How could you change your mind so soon?  
Two skies that don't agree  
We only look at what we want to see

Hear the grass, it sings  
Even in this silent spring  
Rip out the seed  
And watch it bleed

_-Bettie Serveert  
__Silent Spring_


	5. Returning to the Long Lost Nightmare

Slowly, emerald eyes opened.

Alice's head was throbbing. She was lying on the floor near the small kitchen table. When she saw the small puddle of red liquid a few inches away from her, she thought she was bleeding. She crawled closer until the scent of raspberries proved her panicked thoughts wrong. There was a bump on the side of her head, but no open wound.

She sat up, trying to remember what happened before she was knocked out. Vira was running into the woods, and Alice quickly lost sight of her. She remembered what had driven her into the house and towards the medicine in such a mad frenzy.

She remembered.

Gingerly she stood up, leaning against the table for support. She was gathering her memories back together when there was a soft scratching sound at the back door. Alice hesitated briefly. I couldn't be Vira. Cautiously, she stepped towards the door and opened it.

No one was there. She stared at the empty space until another, softer sound brought her gaze downwards.

A white rabbit.

_The _White Rabbit.

Leaving the door open, Alice walked back into the kitchen. She took a rag from the shelf and wiped the medicine off the floor where Vira had spilled it. Then, taking the red stained rag and half-empty bottle, she walked into the living room with the White Rabbit at her heels.

She set the rag and bottle down on the mantle and looked at the fireplace. She had lit the fireplace only once before. It had given her such bad flashbacks that she nearly fainted. Taking a steadying breath, Alice took the matchbox off the mantle and struck a match. Rather than concentrating on the shining blaze, she thought of Vira. Now she could finally tell her daughter what happened. She could finally fill in the missing pieces Vira always was desperate to learn about.

When the fire was made, Alice sat back and let out a shuddering sigh. She didn't want to be near it anymore. The Rabbit nudged her hand, and she looked down at him. The fire reflected in his soft brown eyes. He needed to tell her something.

Resolute, Alice picked up the bottle and rag and stood. She threw the rag, followed by the bottle of medicine, into the flames. They flared up blood red for a few seconds, then settled back into a flickering orange glow.

When the hateful task was finished, Alice looked down at the rabbit. He looked proud, his whiskers twitching in a smile. With a sudden sense of urgency, he turned and started running to the back door. Alice followed, speeding up to a jogging pace. When the Rabbit darted out across the backyard, Alice broke into a run, determined not to lose him in the woods.

He sprang cleanly between two low branches, pausing for only a second to allow Alice to catch up. He became a white streak against the dark green foliage, leading her down the path she had only heard Vira talk about. When the forest abruptly turned into a large field, Alice skidded to a stop. Frantically, she searched for the Rabbit, but he was gone.

She sat down on a wide flat rock, watching the pure white flowers sway in the breeze. She lost the Rabbit. She lost Vira.

But she remembered Wonderland.

She remembered how twisted and destroyed it was when she was fourteen. And now her only daughter was lost in it. Vira was the same age as Alice had been, but she had never been exposed to something so evil before. The tragedy, shortly followed by her years at the mental hospital, was enough to prepare her for Wonderland. Vira had nothing. She didn't even know about the fire…and now Alice feared she never would.

When Alice looked up and across the field, the Rabbit was sitting upright, watching her. She got up without hesitation and walked straight through the delicate flowers. He turned promptly and hopped through a nearby rabbit hole.

Not into it…

Through it.

Alice followed, the hole widening just enough for her to slip through. Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt the strange rush of falling into another world, something she hadn't felt in twenty six years.

Her whole body shook with the impact of her landing.

She opened her eyes and was promptly greeted by Rabbit, looking quite different than he had when she saw him in the field. "Alice...remember now?"

Without any warning, Alice scooped him up and hugged him tightly. "I can't believe I ever forgot." Instantly she was reminded of the stuffed toy rabbit she used to cling to in her childhood.

She put him down and slowly looked around, drinking in her surroundings. The ground they were on dropped straight down in a massive cliff. Alice kneeled close to the river and looked over the side. The spray from the waterfall, the air heavy with moisture…they were near the same clearing they had been in twenty six years ago.

"Are you planning ahead or simply enjoying the view?"

The Cheshire Cat was sitting next to Alice, staring off the cliff into the mist. Immediately she hugged him in the same way she had hugged Rabbit. The Cat was so painfully thin that Alice felt as though she could wrap her arms around him two or three more times. She released him and returned to gazing around the forest.

Rabbit's voice, which had taken on a serious tone, snapped her back into reality. "Now, I fear we have other complications at hand."

The worry that had drifted away from Alice was gnawing at her mind again. "Oh dear...Vira. Is she alright? Where is she?"

"The Mock Turtle is taking her to the other side of the Woods" the Cat replied. He added reassuringly, "She'll be safe with him."

Rabbit could tell Alice wouldn't be so easily consoled. "I know a shortcut to the other side. I can go ahead and tell her that you're here."

"Can't I come with you?" Alice asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid not. The way is treacherous, even for me. I'll stay with her and meet you on the other side." He sprang ahead of Alice and the Cat, turned left when he reached the clearing and disappeared.

The remaining companions walked into the clearing, where the Cat brought her to another leaf that was gyrating slowly in the lake. He pushed off of the land, heading for the same rapids he took Vira through. Alice sat down, drawing her knees to her chest and resting her head on them.

The Cat was uneasy. Alice had grown uncomfortably silent. He wished she would speak…sigh…give him a sign that she was still there. He remembered the way she slipped out of his paws when she disappeared all those years ago….he didn't want it to happen again.

The silence broke when they reached the shore. Alice looked up at the foreboding house, the roof obscured by fog. "Vira was in there?"

The Cat led her up the porch. "Involuntarily, of course."

Alice walked forward, her gaze roving the whole structure. "I hope so." They entered through the gaping doors and down the short hall. Alice's eyes snapped to the Cat aftershesawthe Duchess's body.

He purposely avoided looking at the bite marks on the body's neck. "Yes, Vira had a misfortunate run-in with the Duchess…"

Alice dropped to her knees next to one of the tables.

It was a huge blow to her that Vira was already exposed to the violence and gore that had become characteristic of Wonderland. Vira, the child that Alice raised all alone, the child that Alice raised to be a normal girl…

Vira would become a killer.

Alice stared at the Duchess's body, unblinking. Slowly, the shape of the corpse was shifting. Her eyes grew wide as the Duchess's jet black hair turned auburn, the bloodstained white dress turned black, the dark blue eyes turned a cloudy grey. Within seconds the body that was sprawled before Alice was Vira's.

Crushed, bloody, and lifeless. Alice wanted to tear her eyes away but couldn't. The body was shifting again. The black dress faded to a sky blue. Her face grew older, and her eyes were no longer grey. The corpse wasn't Vira anymore.

It was Alice.

She gave a short scream when something touched her arm. Looking over, Alice was relieved to see that it was the Cheshire Cat. He looked concerned. "Alice, are you okay?"

Still feeling alarmed, Alice glanced over at the body. It resembled the Duchess once more. She suddenly felt very tired. "Yes…I'm fine…"

He scanned her face briefly before grinning again. "Look." He held up a shimmering knife.

The grin on Alice's face matched the Cat's as she took it from his paws. "My Vorpal Blade…"

He was glad that she was back to normal. "Your weapon of choice."

They left the house and the Cat led her around to the pond behind it. She looked at the murky water. "Is Turtle coming back?"

The Cat looked down into the pond. "Any minute now…what's your plan?"

Alice turned her blade, letting the water reflect off of it. "I'm going to find my daughter."

* * *

Not sure how this is supposed to feel  
Cutting like a red hot knife of surgical steel  
Brought fresh from the autoclave  
She came, she came with sterile warning  
Screaming from her blade  
Singing, "I want to make you bleed" 

I watched them fall in line as I fell victim  
To double suicide on your television  
We heard our records backwards too many times  
I'm wasting my breath, we're wasting our time

Down on my knees but not to pray  
Hit so hard across the skull it buckled my legs  
They told me I had hell to pay  
I came, I came too close to heaven  
Had nothing to say for myself  
I had to walk away

_-Alkaline Trio  
__Fall Victim_


	6. Girl's Alright

Vira had never gone swimming before, so she never knew what it was like. She discovered immediately after she hit the water that she hated it.

The dim light that came from an unknown source highlighted the rotting walls and moss covered spikes that hung ominously from the ceiling. She reached forward and latched her hand onto the back of the Turtle's shell, taking comfort in the fact that the stream of bubbles meant she wasn't alone.

Pillars slowly crumbled around them as the Turtle weaved between falling stones and weeds that curled up from the cracked floor and through the walls. After what seemed like an eternity, he pulled her through a wide hole in one wall and started kicking up to the surface. She released his shell and kicked her legs, propelling herself upwards.

Their heads broke the surface simultaneously. The Turtle turned to Vira. "Are you alright?"

She smiled. "I suppose."

He looked over to the land and froze. She followed his gaze, panic already rising inside her. There was a chorus of hissing and snapping echoing around the small pond they had surfaced in. In small numbers at first, then faster and faster, giant ants were appearing from around the corners. Some dropped down from higher tree branches, others lined up on the tree root that bordered half the water.

Vira inched closer to the Turtle, her eyes roving the battalion of ants. "These are the Army Ants?"

"Yes" he replied quietly.

"What do we do now?" she asked, her grip tightening on the croquet mallet.

She could tell he was struggling for a solution. "Give me a minute…"

Suddenly an ant leaped from a tree branch, heading straight for the two in the water. Vira screamed and swung the croquet mallet, slicing the creature in half. Its body splashed into the water, green blood spreading out around it. When Vira lifted her other hand out of the water, she was holding a croquet ball. With little time to wonder where she got it from, she tossed it up and hit it hard with the mallet. It flew straight for an advancing ant, smashing its skull and killing it instantly.

The Turtle grabbed her wrist. "Of course! The Secret River! Follow me, and pray the current is with us!"

He thrust her under the water again and she barely had time to grab his shell before he was speeding through the water, kicking up bubbles to keep her alive. They were swimming straight for a dark opening on the wall of the pond. The water was flowing into it, and they easily slid through with the current. He pulled her left, then right, then up. She left go of his shell and they surfaced again.

They were in a tunnel being pulled along by the current. The water reflected on the smooth ceiling and walls, giving the impression that they were surrounded by water.

"Where are we now?" Vira asked.

The Turtle sighed with relief. "This is the Secret River. It leads underneath Wonderland Woods, and it will take us to Caterpillar. The current is nearly impossible to predict."

Vira looked further down the tunnel, seeing nothing but darkness. "What do you mean?"

"It changes without warning" the Turtle explained. "We're going the right way now, but any second it could switch and send us right back to the pond. That's why I was hoping it was flowing this way when we were stuck there. We'd be dead if it wasn't."

"But you're a strong swimmer," Vira said, "couldn't you swim against it if you ever needed to?"

He shook his head. "There are few impossible things in Wonderland. Fighting the current is one of them."

She was about to ask what the other things were when he pulled her to the left quickly. They approached a bend in the river followed by a fork, passing smoothly on the left side. He let her go as soon as they were far down enough. "This river leads to so many waterways…we have to keep to the left."

They continued, neither speaking for very long. The water lapped against the sides of the tunnel, echoing around them. Vira was growing anxious. She had so many questions, and the biggest one was whether the Caterpillar could answer them all.

At long last they reached the end of the tunnel and Vira found herself sitting on dry ground. She stood up and followed the Turtle around a corner. They were in a small cave, where mushrooms as tall as Vira were growing. The Caterpillar was sitting on one, watching them with interest.

The Turtle nodded at Vira. "You're safe now. I've got to get back as soon as the current changes. If your mother is here, I'll lead her the same way."

A little frightened to see her friend gone so quickly, Vira walked over to the Caterpillar. Gesturing to a mushroom, he said in a deep, wise voice, "Sit down, child. You have a lot to ask, don't you?"

She pulled herself up on one of the mushrooms, settling as comfortably as she could. "Yes…but I wonder where to begin…"

He shifted his position so he was facing her. "Why, the beginning of course. And when you come to the end…stop."

* * *

Rabbit leaped over rocks and tree roots at his maximum speed, relying on his memory of the shortcut to guide him. Ducking, weaving, and jumping, the forest was a blur around him. He closed his eyes to shield them from the wind, concentrating on the feel of the path. He gave a short jump over a ledge and then sprang onto a tree branch, scaling the broad tree with ease. One misstep would send him spiraling down to his death. 

But Rabbit never faltered.

He opened his eyes and swung down from the last branch, landing on a ledge that overlooked part of the forest. A tree root arched around the back of a pond, and he knew that it was the pond Vira and Turtle would surface in. All he had to do was wait.

Several minutes later, Rabbit was starting to worry. The dark surface of the water was unbroken. He hopped down off the ledge and went to investigate the pond. He neared the water's edge, peering into the depths. When he glanced to the left he jumped back in disgust.

The body of an army ant was sprawled on the ground, its head cracked open and bleeding. Rabbit sat down, trying to piece everything together. Turtle would have come out of the passage by now. The ants must have stopped them. Had they been captured?

…Or worse?

As he was mulling over all the terrible possibilities, a dark shape stirred under the water. He backed up as it grew larger, but relaxed when the friendly face of the Mock Turtle emerged. Rabbit stood up, noticing that something was missing. "Where's Vira?"

Turtle started treading water. "The ants swarmed the shore. I took her to Caterpillar through the Secret River, and I told her that I would take Alice the same way. Is Alice here?"

"Yes, and she's waiting behind Duchess's house with the Cat." Rabbit checked his watch. "We've wasted so much time already. I'll stay here, and you get her here as fast as you can."

Turtle dove back under the water, disappearing without a trace. Rabbit was left to do the one thing he hated doing.

Waiting.

* * *

Alice sighed restlessly for the umpteenth time. "Where is he?" 

The Cat swished his tail absently. "You can only hide your thoughts for so long, Alice. Tell me what's on your mind."

"My thoughts are far too jumbled. I don't know what to say."

He continued to flick his tail back and forth. "I know that you're worried. You can't sit still. You still see Vira as a young child that needs you."

Alice twirled the knife in her hands. "Once again, you've read me like a book, Cat. Yes, I'm worried. Vira doesn't know how to fight. I can't even imagine…her covered in blood…surrounded by hostility…"

"The girl's alright," he said, "and believe it or not, she'll take care of herself. You may think she can't handle it now, but she'll learn."

Alice looked deep into his eyes. "How can you be sure?"

"She's your daughter," he replied with a shrug and a grin, "why wouldn't she be alright?"

Alice allowed a small smile to tug at her lips.

_My little girl…

* * *

_

You're on your own my little nightmare  
You cannot stay here, it's far too bright for you  
If they attack you, just lay there  
Play dead dear, it's your only hope of pulling through  
And seconds they seem like a lifetime, a dream recurring  
A dream that can't come true  
And they'll pin it all on you after all you've been put through 

"Sadie G. she's crazy, see?" that's what the white coats say  
Now Ms. Susan A. you're losing every opportunity  
To put us all away

Now run along my little nightmare  
Your job is done here, you've scared them all to death.  
If they revive them just sit there just smile dear  
Make them thankful for every breath  
This sentence may seem like a lifetime, a scream  
That's curdling the blood they found on you  
And your knives and clothing too  
Charlie's broken .22

"Sadie G. she's crazy, see?" that's what the white coats say  
Now Ms. Susan A. you're losing every opportunity  
Well they found you and they shipped you up the river the same way  
Bound and gagged, you shot then stabbed  
You tried to set them free, but they've thrown away the keys

_-Alkaline Trio  
__Sadie_


	7. Walking Away

"But it's difficult," Vira replied, "to find where the beginning might be. All the things I want to know are tied together, you see."

"Do your best" he answered.

Vira thought for a second and said, "What is Wonderland?"

"Ah…" he said, puffing thoughtfully on his hookah. "Alice was a curious child. When she was very young she would have dreams about a strange place called Wonderland. She wasn't the only one. Many children have had dreams about Wonderland…some have even been led here by Rabbit. But Alice was the only one who, upon returning, didn't believe it to be a dream. After that, every day, she followed Rabbit through the rabbit hole. You must understand, Vira, that it isn't really a rabbit hole. It's the entrance to our world, and we are a world apart."

"So…what happened between her and Wonderland?" Vira asked.

The Caterpillar sighed. "Something…terrible. Something that tore her apart. She had grown so attached to our world that when her life shattered, we did too. I can't tell you what destroyed her inside, despite how much I want you to know. Alice needs to come to terms with it still, and then she can tell you herself. But what happened…"

"…sent her to Rutledge's" Vira finished.

He nodded. "Yes. There they believed her insane. Even though she was broken, her connection with Wonderland was strong. So she helped us the only way she could…through her dreams, through her mind. The doctors didn't understand that, accepting it simply as a sign of her being mentally unstable. So they contrived a way to rid her of us."

A few things were beginning to piece together. Vira looked up at him, wide eyed. "The medicine."

"The medicine" the Caterpillar repeated. "I myself am not sure what it was, or how the doctor created it. But something in it blocked us from her mind. She was left alone."

In the dampness of the cave, Vira shivered. "But…what's wrong here? Why is Wonderland like this, and why does she need to be here?"

The Caterpillar leaned over the edge of his mushroom and whispered, "The Queen of Hearts. She took advantage of the conditions of both Alice and Wonderland. She distorted us to this nightmarish degree. Now she's in full power over Wonderland. Rabbit and Cat went looking for Alice in hopes that she could liberate us and heal herself in the process."

He leaned back as Vira said quietly, "…and they found me. Now I can't get home, and I don't even know if she's looking for me."

"I won't know for sure until I see her," Caterpillar said, "but I have faith in Cat and Rabbit. Alice will be here. In the meantime, you need to continue your travels through Wonderland."

"Why?" Vira asked, still frustrated that his answers weren't giving her much help in her present situation. "Why can't I just wait somewhere for her if she's supposed to be here?"

"Assume nothing, be sure of the facts" the Caterpillar replied.

Vira slid off the mushroom and picked up the croquet mallet. "How do I find the Queen of Hearts?"

"The path is a long one," the Caterpillar said, "and can't be reached so easily. Travel to the Fungiferous Forest. There is a portal in the Centipede's Sanctum…"

"Centipede?" Vira interrupted, "You want me to go up against the Centipede that sent his Army Ants out to kill me and Turtle?"

"You asked for my advice," he answered, "and that' s what I'm telling you."

"Well, it's not helping" Vira said, growing more distressed by the minute.

"If you know a different way then please, share it" the Caterpillar snapped. "I've given you all the answers you desired and this is how you thank me?"

"But you haven't," Vira shot back, "and I don't think I'll ever know the truth if I listen to you!"

The Caterpillar was starting to regret the way he spoke to her, but didn't show it. "Keep your temper."

Vira turned her back on him and walked resolutely into the tunnel that led out of the underground cave. "I'll find my own way."

When she was out of the cave, Vira found herself standing quite alone in the middle of the Wonderland Woods. She looked around, not wanting to admit that she hadn't the faintest idea where to go.

She sunk forlornly to the ground. "Mum…where are you?"

She was starting to grow frightened of being alone. She wished for her mother...Rabbit…Cat…anybody. Glancing over her shoulder, she considered going back in the cave and apologizing to the Caterpillar.

"No," she said out loud, "I won't. I don't need him."

_"Good for you."_

Vira jumped. A voice that was too raspy to be the Caterpillar's echoed around her. "Hello? Who's there?"

_"I can help you."_

"Who are you?" she called, stepping forward, following the sound.

_"You've no need to listen to that stupid insect. Wouldn't you like to get out of the Woods?"_

"Yes," she replied, following the voice without really noticing where she was going, "yes I would."

_"Follow me."_

She continued to walk, gazing around at the trees that were shrouded in mist. She stopped in front of a mighty tree trunk, where the roots rose up from the ground and twisted together. Nestled between two thick roots was a swirling black portal.

_"Forget the Centipede's Sanctum. Take my way."_

Vira stepped through the black mass. The sensation of falling, similar to the feeling of entering Wonderland, enveloped her. The fall was quick, and she landed in another part of the woods that wasn't woods at all.

The ground sloped and formed ditches in several places. The grass that covered the bumpy terrain was a pale shade of green, like it wasn't real. The grass thinned out and stopped at a path that forked.

A sign that read "Pale Realm" pointed down the left side. The rock wall took on a white and black checked pattern further down. The other side was unmarked. Vira's eyes shifted back and forth between the two paths before she chose the one marked Pale Realm.

Before she started down that path she thought she heard the voice from the Woods laughing…softly…

Whatever it was faded away, and she was surrounded by eerie silence once more.

* * *

Don't give up on me  
Dreamaniacs don't aim to please, yeah,  
They walk differently  
In-between realities  
Though my feet are on the ground, my head is on a cloud  
Just enough to save my soul  
I tell myself I'll take control  
It's just one less dumb mistake I'll make  
One less stupid step I'll take  
One last time I'll take a break  
Life is just a piece of cake  
Don't give up on me  
I know you seem to think I'm lazy, yeah,  
But I'll get up, you'll see  
Just in time to find my way  
I get so angry every time you try to push me into  
Some sort of direction  
Like I need some new direction  
I don't need your dumb directions, thank you, please  
Dreamaniacs don't aim to please  
It's just one less dumb mistake I'll make  
One less stupid step I'll take  
One last time I'll take a break  
Life is just a piece of cake  
That's all 

_-Bettie Serveert  
__Dreamaniacs_


	8. Minds of Madness: The Jabberwock

The lone Card Guard walked slowly down the echoing hallway. Individual pillars of light shone from the high ceiling, leaving patches of darkness in between them that the Guard had to walk through. He reached the end of the hallway, where the final light illuminated a high throne. Sitting on the throne was his mistress, the Queen of Hearts.

He bowed low, fear pulsing through him. "Y-your Majesty."

"Rise," she barked, her commanding voice reverberating off the stone walls, "and state your purpose."

Straightening up, he failed to keep his voice steady. "Y-you h-h-have a v-v-visitor….it's…"

"Get on with it!" she shouted.

The Guard swallowed. "…Him."

The Queen thought for a moment, leaving the Guard in a nervous silence. She boomed suddenly, "WELL LET HIM IN!"

He bowed quickly and dashed down the hallway.

* * *

Standing on the rocky outcrop, I stare across the fiery land I inhabit. The Land of Fire and Brimstone, created straight from the guilt that still haunts a certain girl…or woman, I should say. Unfurling my wings, I take to the orange sky, a destination set clear in my mind. 

As I soar over the swirling lava and black rocks, I plan out just how the meeting should go. The Queen of Hearts isn't one to be trifled with…but she doesn't scare me.

I am fear.

I am the Jabberwock.

I can see the hedge maze beneath me as I enter Queen of Hearts Land, which is soon lost from my sight as I travel over the high cliffs and towers in Queensland. With great power comes great vanity, I suppose.

The Card Guards dread my arrival. I can see them scurrying about in front of the castle, trying to escape me. Kicking up blasts of air with my wings, I land on my feet with a threatening crash. They manage to form a line in front of the castle doors, and the unfortunate Captain is pushed forward.

I lean in close to his face, snarling, "Tell the Queen I stopped for a little visit. I have some information for her."

I can practically _taste _his fear as he nods jerkily and rushes inside.

Mere child's play.

"What are you staring at?" I snap at the remaining Guards. They scatter, searching for something else to do until I leave. Even at the sound of my name they cower, and refer to me as Him. So much for the Queen's formidable army.

The Captain returns, pale and shaken. "Th-th-the Queen w-will s-s-see you n-now."

I shove him to the side and push the doors open, walking with a swaggering gait to show that I fear none and am feared by many.

I can sense her tension as she nods at me. "What brings you here, Jabberwock?"

"Your Majesty," I reply tersely, "Alice has returned."

She settles back in her throne. "So it's true. Wonderland's savior is back to fulfill the prophecy."

"Prophecies can be delusive things. Alice hides her real feelings deep in her mind…and I know exactly how expose them" I respond.

"Then I can count on you, my loyal servant?" she asks, adding the 'my loyal servant' to make her self sound superior.

I bow shortly. "I serve you to the death."

She dismisses me with a wave of her hand. I turn and stalk out, shoving the doors open forcefully. The Guards that were semi-assembled in front of the doors fall flat, avoiding my eyes.

Laughing inwardly, I pound my wings and rise steadily into the air. I won't waste any more of my time here.

The Queen believes herself a powerful ruler. She is nothing. I play along with her pathetic games because I want her trust. She wants me as her servant because she fears me just as much as her weak Guards do. She knows nothing. At this moment, as I wing my way back to my land, she sits in her petty splendor, believing Alice is the only one challenging her.

What she doesn't know is that Alice's daughter is here as well.

Of course, she wouldn't even know Alice was here if it wasn't for her 'loyal servant'.

Vira's mind might even be easier to infiltrate than her mother. Of course, once I get into their heads, both of them will be pitifully easy to break down. Vira already followed my voice so willingly in the Woods. She stepped through my portal without a second thought.

And her mother?

Alice hides her emotions deep in her mind. I hold all the things she's ever done and all the guilt she's ever had in my claws. Once I expose them she will be reduced to a shadow of her former self, and I'll be sure she spends the rest of her life moping around a padded room at Rutledge's.

But what of little Vira?

I touch down on the towering rocks that are surrounded by lava. Gazing into their molten depths, I can't help but grin.

I hope Alice picks a few white flowers from the field before they drag her off to the asylum. She'll need them if she wants to leave something on her daughter's grave.

* * *

I am a death house haunted mirror  
Acerbic heart ain't nothing pure in here  
I keep the memories of a broken you  
Sing sing the stories of a fractured few 

I believe I will open up  
For all my rage will surely come undone  
I am agnostic but I hang on a cross  
Faithless saintless my sin stabs  
I wear the crown of oblivion  
Rule and aching void watch my sun burn out

I am a death house haunted mirror  
Acerbic heart ain't nothing pure in here  
You close the door I sing pleading  
Save me before you leave you're leaving

_-The Distillers  
__Sing Sing Death House_


	9. Wasting Life, Killing Time

Both the Cat and Alice let out a sigh of relief when the Mock Turtle broke the still surface of the pond. Alice immediately started questioning him about the one thing that plagued her mind. "Is Vira safe?"

He nodded quickly. "She's with Caterpillar. He'll help her calm down and hopefully she'll understand her predicament better. Don't stall, the current won't wait for us."

Alice looked at the Cat, who was hanging back from the water. She gave him a quick smile of thanks and followed Turtle into the passageway.

The Cat watched the pond until the ripples disappeared completely and the water resembled dark glass. He was thinking about the staggering determination Alice had to find her daughter, which led him to think about Vira. He saved her from the Duchess…but he kept telling himself it was because Alice would be heartbroken if Vira was gone. If Alice ever lost heart, the war would be over. The Queen would win.

Before he looked away from the pond, he had a strange feeling that something wasn't right…a feeling he wouldn't have if Vira really was safe with the Caterpillar.

He felt it tugging at his mind, something telling him that something was wrong with her. The Secret River was unpredictable, and he was almost certain it would already be flowing against them when the Turtle arrived.

Deciding on the spot, he vanished, choosing to find Vira and assure himself that she was okay. The only problem was that he didn't know where to look. With Alice in the water he dared not touch, Rabbit on the other side of the Woods, and Vira in some sort of trouble he wasn't sure of, the Cheshire Cat felt that, at that moment, everything was flowing against them.

* * *

Alice was surprised at how silent it was underwater. It was nearly impossible to see anything ahead, and she focused on breathing through the bubbles that led her through the gloomy passageway. When the water finally brightened she expected the Turtle to swim to the surface, but instead he led her to a dark crevice in the wall. They were pulled in by a current and he finally brought her up to the surface. 

Alice looked around the tunnel they were in. "Where are we exactly?"

"The Secret River. It's the same way I took Vira, and the shortest route to Caterpillar" he replied.

"So we're heading straight for Vira?" Alice asked, hope shining in her eyes.

The Turtle hesitated for a moment. "Well...the current…"

Before he could explain any further, the quick flow of the water started to decrease. He held his wide flipper out to Alice. "Uh oh. Hold on." The water came to a brief stop, then started pushing them backwards.

Alice wrapped her arms around his seconds before they were sent hurtling back down the tunnel by the rapid water. She took a short gulp of breath before they were sucked under and forced violently out the entrance. The Turtle gathered his bearings and pulled her up to the surface, shoving her onto dry land.

She crawled away from the pond, choking and coughing up water she had swallowed. The Turtle slid out of the water and finished what he was saying as if nothing had happened. "The current is unreliable."

Alice looked up at him through a curtain of dripping auburn hair. "You don't say."

The White Rabbit, who had been sitting further down the pond's edge, sprang up and joined them. "What else do you expect from that River? It looks like we'll have to take the long way."

Alice looked dispirited. "Just how long is the long way?"

Rabbit consulted his pocket watch. "Well, that depends. How much longer do you plan to stand around? Time waits for no one, you know."

She didn't respond to Rabbit, but turned and faced the Turtle. "You've been a great help. I can't thank you enough."

He tried to look modest, but his eyes had a hint of pride. "I hope you find Vira soon. I'm glad I was able to help."

He waddled to the pond and jumped into the water, leaving Alice and Rabbit alone. Rabbit was already walking in the other direction, and Alice had to jog to catch up. He led her around a wall of rock to a waterfall smaller than the one in the Vale of Tears.

Skipping deftly through the waterfall without getting wet, Rabbit remarked, "I never trusted Turtle and his rivers, though he does mean well. But it might have been safer. Now that the Centipede knows you're here, he'll be sending his soldiers to patrol what he thinks is his territory."

Alice edged between the water and the rocks, finding herself in a cave that was hidden behind the falls. "At least Vira's out of harm's way with Caterpillar."

The sound of the waterfall was lost as they traveled further into the cave. The ground started to elevate and they emerged from underground to a barren clearing in the forest, almost completely surrounded by the mist that never seemed to deplete.

Rabbit was obviously disconcerted. He sensed a danger that he couldn't place, and the mist that enclosed them did nothing to improve his already doubtful thoughts. "I don't like this, Alice."

Alice reassured herself that the knife was still in her pocket. "Why not?"

"It's too quiet. It's too…easy." Rabbit shook his head, trying to clear the feeling. "We'll have to sacrifice stealth for speed. After we get across it won't be long to Caterpillar."

He took to his heels, with Alice at his side.

At first the only sound was their heavy breathing and pounding footsteps. As they reached the middle of the clearing, Alice thought she felt a steady vibration, accompanied by a far off thump. The opposite side of the clearing was starting to materialize from the mist, but the sounds were growing louder as the vibrations increased.

Something was coming towards them.

Something big.

Alice was starting to slow down, and Rabbit slowed down with her. Her breathing was labored, but she forced herself doggedly onward. A huge figure suddenly penetrated the curtain of fog, and Alice froze. The thumping was deafening now, and she staggered on the shaking ground. A dark shadow fell over her and she heard Rabbit shouting her name.

Something flashed in her mind and again she saw the corpse of the Duchess, watching as it shifted to resemble a crushed and lifeless Alice.

Alice was wrenched out of the flashback as something slammed into her, knocking her sideways. The pounding steps of the mysterious figure receded, and the clearing was surrounded by haze and silence once more.

She realized that she was sitting on the ground. The figure must have been about to step on her. Rabbit must have…

Rabbit.

She looked at the giant footprint that was inches away from her. Rabbit was at the edge of it, his body crushed and bloody.

Crushed…lifeless…

"No...Rabbit…" she whispered, kneeling by his body. She spoke to him, tears collecting in her eyes, her voice shaky as she still tried to fathom what had happened. "I'm here because of you. I was so young, I didn't know. I followed you, and believed you. When I first came through the portal to Wonderland, I was afraid. You were there, you helped me, you kept the dream_ alive_…and then I lost you. For years I was locked away, hoping you would come back. I slept to escape the nightmare of reality and it took me here. For too long you were _nothing_ but a memory, a voice in my head, and now that I'm finally here, you're _gone_!" She realized she was yelling, her own distressed words bouncing back at her. "I'm _alone_ and I have no one to follow anymore!"

Alone.

Rabbit was dead.

Alice stood up slowly, reaching for his shattered pocket watch. "I won't let your death be in vain."

The glass was cracked, and blood was smeared across the tarnished gold. She unfastened the chain and clipped it around her neck. "I swear I'll save you. I'll save Wonderland. I swear…"

She stood up, unable to look at his mangled body any longer. She touched the watch that hung from her throat. "I'll never forget you."

_Snap._

Alice whirled around. With the mist obscuring her vision, it was impossible to see what caused the sound. Then she heard hissing, the scuttling of swift footsteps. The Army Ants had been watching her.

She left the Rabbit where he lay, knowing there was nothing else she could do. He was right…time wouldn't wait. Now she had to find Caterpillar, before the malignant Army Ants found her first.

* * *

At night I hear it creeping  
At night I feel it move  
I'll never sleep here anymore

I wish you never told me  
I wish I never knew  
I wake up screaming  
It's all because of you

So real these voices in my head  
When it comes back you won't be  
Scared and lonely  
You won't be scared, you won't be  
You won't be scared and lonely  
You won't be scared you won't be lonely

I know there's something out there  
I think I hear it move  
I've never felt like this before  
I wish you never told me  
I wish I never knew  
I wake up screaming  
It's all because of you

So real these voices in my head  
When it comes back you won't be  
Scared and lonely  
You won't be scared, you won't be  
You won't be scared and lonely  
You won't be scared you won't be lonely

Its all because of you  
I wish you never told me  
I wake up screaming now  
So real these voices in my head  
So real these voices in my head  
I wake up screaming now  
I wish you never told me  
I wish I never knew

Scared and lonely  
You won't be scared, you won't be  
You won't be scared and lonely  
You won't be scared you won't be lonely

Scared and lonely  
You won't be scared, you won't be  
You won't be scared and lonely  
You won't be scared you won't be lonely

_-Three Days Grace  
__Scared

* * *

_

A day before I finished this chapter, my pet bunny rabbit died at six years old. So I dedicate this chapter to the memory of Chilly. Rest in peace. 


	10. The Promise to a Loyal Soul

Leaving the misty clearing where Rabbit had met his demise was like stepping into an entirely different section of the Woods. Where Alice was now was void of mist, which should have made it easier to find Caterpillar.

After walking for several minutes, Alice stopped and sighed. "Now I _know _I've passed this way before…" She was looking around when a tree root that arched high out of the ground caught her eye. As she drew closer she saw that it was bent over a tunnel, and when she listened she could hear the muffled sound of running water. Alice lowered herself to the ground and sat with her legs dangling in the tunnel. Then, with a deep breath, she slid inside.

Alice was shocked at the sudden coldness of the water as she plunged into the tunnel. A strong, fast current was pushing her forwards, and it dawned on her that she must be in the Secret River they had failed to enter earlier.

She hadn't been floating long when the current carried her directly onto dry ground. Ignoring how cold the damp air was, Alice entered the depths of the cave and found what she had been looking for.

"Caterpillar" she said with respect as she stood in front of him.

"Alice," he said, gesturing to a mushroom, "sit."

Alice folded her arms to keep herself warm. She responded politely, but firmly, "I'd rather not. The sooner you help me, the sooner I can get to my daughter before something happens."

He studied her for a moment. "Very well. It's better that you stay on the move anyhow."

"Well?" she asked with slight impatience.

"I didn't know you looked so much alike" he said with a smile. "Vira seems a tad more headstrong than I remember you being, though. She left to find her own way."

"Why did you just let her walk away from you?" Alice asked, trying not to sound as annoyed as she really was.

He looked at her levelly. "I could ask the same question."

Alice bit her lip, keeping silent as Caterpillar spoke. "Even if Vira still hasn't gotten out of the Woods, you need to get yourself out. You could die here before picking up even the slightest trace of where she may be. It will be hard, but you need to push her out of your mind for now. Wonderland needs your help the most right now."

"Forget my daughter?" Alice burst out. "How can you expect me to do that?"

"Let me finish" he said calmly. "I don't know when your paths will cross again. Neither of you have any contact with each other, so both of you need to keep this quest alive. If everything goes well, you can liberate Wonderland first and search for her then." He looked saddened. "Of course, not everything will go well. This world is a twisted mutation of what it used to be."

Alice's heart felt heavy. "Because of the fire." She looked up at him with uncertainty. "Did you…well…tell Vira?"

The Caterpillar looked at her sternly. "No. It isn't my responsibility, nor is it the responsibility of anyone else in Wonderland. You, Alice, you alone, need to tell Vira about the fire. That is, as soon as you accept it."

"What do you mean?" Alice asked quickly.

He took his time answering. "You know very well what I mean. It haunts you to this day. If you can accept it as something terrible that can be put behind you, you can finally tell Vira everything she has been waiting to know about you."

_Put it behind me, how can I put it behind me? How can I even begin to explain to Vira that I've been hiding something from her for so long?_

"Alice?"

"So how do I get out of the Woods?" she asked, trying to draw him off the topic of the fire.

He pointed to the other end of the cave they were in. "No matter what, the Army Ants are going to catch up with you. Let them come. They will take you to the Sanctum, the lair of their dictator. You must avoid the wrathful Centipede and find the portal. It will take you to a crossroads. On one side is Queen of Heartsland, while on the other is the Pale Realm. There is only one path to the end, but there are so many more paths you must take to get there."

Alice started to leave the cave. "Thank you, Caterpillar."

His deep voice echoed behind her. "I hope you and Vira find each other again soon. And remember…white moves first."

The upward winding tunnel took her to another section of the Woods encased in fog, though not as much as the site where Rabbit was killed. She walked on in silence until a hissing sound brought her to a dead stop. Standing still, she hardly dared to breathe as the hissing grew louder, accompanied by fast moving footsteps.

Suddenly the clearing was no longer surrounded by fog.

It was surrounded by spear-wielding Army Ants.

An Ant larger than the rest with a sword scuttled forward. "Thisssss issss the one! Take her to the Massssster, and take her alive!"

The Ants swarmed forward, hemming her in with spears on all sides. Alice remembered what Caterpillar said and smoothly pocketed her blade, letting them lead her through the Woods. They approached a tree trunk and forced her through a hold that was gouged into it, dropping her in the middle of some strange ceremony. More Ants holding swords were lined up on both sides of a short path. Alice walked between them without fear as they hissed menacingly at her, stopping at the end where the path dipped into a dark tunnel.

A sword prodded her spine, pushing her into the tunnel. She couldn't hold back a scream as she plummeted through the dark space, finally falling to a stop in a wide cave with a dome ceiling.

A tall, narrow mountain of crystals and rocks was in the middle of the cave, and from behind it she heard something moving, something she knew was the Centipede.

Suddenly the monster crashed into view, roaring, "INTRUDER! YOU WILL BE PUNISHED FOR THIS INSOLENCE!"

Already knowing the knife would be useless, Alice backed up and ran, dashing around what was now the battle arena. She saw a shadow looming over her and skipped to the side, just in time to avoid the giant insect as he slammed into the ground. She tripped and fell as the ground shook from his attack, struggling to get back up.

She managed to stand, but he whipped his head sideways and threw her across the arena. Her world turned upside down as she rolled over and over, growing closer to the edge of the arena. Immediately she threw her arm out and dug her nails into the soft soil.

Now hanging over the edge, Alice looked to her right and saw a ledge sticking out from the side of the arena. Unable to pull herself back up, she started to work her way towards it. There was a thundering crash as the Centipede lumbered towards the edge where Alice was clinging. A chunk of rock dropped from the ceiling, hitting her left hand and numbing it.

With all the strength she could gather, Alice swung herself to the right, clawing at the ledge and pulling herself onto it. The Centipede was coming closer, and her arms were numb from the strain.

_Alice._

She gasped in shock. Rabbit had appeared in front of her, a ghostly, pale apparition of his former self.

_You made a promise to me, Alice. Save yourself and you will save me. You will save all who remained loyal to you._

The Centipede's long shadow stretched over her.

_You promised._

With a sudden burst of energy, she spun around and sprang off the ledge, landing behind the Centipede as he smashed the ledge where she had been seconds before. The outcrop crumbled under his weight, sending him roaring to his death in the darkness below.

Alice's eyes were fixed on the spirit of Rabbit. He smiled and pointed at the watch that hung from her neck.

_Time won't wait. Remember._

"I will" she responded breathlessly.

_You promised._

He started to fade, looking sad and reluctant.

Alice wanted to reach after him, but found herself still deprived of strength. "Rabbit…Rabbit, don't go. Don't leave me…"

When at last her strength returned, she held out her arms, as if waiting for him to come back. She looked at her hands, stained with Rabbit's blood from when she had retrieved his pocket watch. Gingerly, she slid the watch under her apron to keep it out of harm's way.

Alice slowly climbed the crystals in the middle of the Sanctum and found the portal at the top. She stepped through, the vision of Rabbit still fresh in her mind.

_You promised.

* * *

_

So look in my eyes, what will you leave behind once you've gone?  
So precious  
You got what you came for now I think it's time to move on  
When will you  
But these ghosts come alive like water and wine and walk through these streets  
Singing songs and carrying signs  
To them these streets belong 

My atonement lasts the best part of eternity  
Ran out of hands to count to sin that breeds inside of me  
Not this hate but the loneliness has left me here into this mess of love

My hands are soaking in the blood of angels  
On broken wings they collapsed  
Will I see the break of day  
Dark clouds exploded and torrents of rain fell  
All these lost halos wash away

Head hung from shame we bear a weight that brings me to a crawl  
These years of longing to tell of decades of unanswered calls  
For a change, 'cause everyday we slip and fall  
Kicked while were down, our fists clench into ball

My hands are soaking in the blood of angels  
On broken wings they collapsed  
Will I see the break of day  
Dark clouds exploded and torrents of rain fell  
All these lost halos wash away

So look in my eyes, what will you leave behind once you've gone?  
So precious  
You got what you came for now I think it's time to move on  
When will you see  
But these ghosts come alive like water and wine and walk through these streets  
Singing songs and carrying signs  
To them these streets belong

_-Rise Against  
__To Them These Streets Belong_


	11. When Crimson Stains Ivory

Vira gripped the croquet mallet tightly as she walked down the path, swallowing her anxiety. She still didn't know where to go, even though she was out of the Woods. With no set destination in mind, she kept walking, following the checkered pattern on the walls around her. When she rounded the last corner, she stopped and stared in awe. A splintered chessboard served as a stairway to the top of a rocky hill. Immediately she could see that the squares formed dips and blocks, and she knew it wouldn't be an easy climb.

The sound of someone calling her name tore her away from the sight. She spun around and saw the Cheshire Cat emerge from the air. "Vira!"

With concern clear in his eyes, he didn't seem intimidating anymore. After he had saved her from the Duchess Vira considered him a friend, and it was a silent relief to be able to talk to him. "Is my mother here?"

He nodded. "When I left her, she was traveling with Turtle."

"So why did you come to find me?" Vira asked.

"I…" he stopped. He really had left because of his strange premonition about Vira. He didn't want her to know that. Not yet. "…Alice was worried about you."

As his words turned in her head, Vira started to remember…Alice calling her back from the field early…Alice forbidding her to go to the forest…"Worried?"

"Yes…she doesn't think…" the Cat said, noticing the change in her voice.

"…that it's a good idea" Vira finished, ignoring the strange look the Cat was giving her.

"Vira…"

She stamped the croquet mallet on the ground. "Doesn't she know I'm not a child anymore? Why does she care so much? I'm old enough to take care of myself, and she should believe me! I believed _her _all my life, and now I end up here and find out that everything was a lie!"

"She's your mother, she cares about you!" the Cat snarled. His voice softened. "She doesn't think you're helpless…but she won't give up looking for you."

Vira thought in silence, then said quietly, "I want you to do something for me, as a friend. Tell her I'm alright. Tell her _I _said I'm alright."

The Cat tried again. "Vira…"

"_Please_."

He nodded and turned around, melting into the air.

Once he was gone, Vira took a steadying breath and started to ascend the hill. The higher she climbed, the taller the stairs were, until she had to use the hooked end of the croquet mallet to haul herself up. She was rewarded with the sight of a portal when she reached the top and walked through eagerly.

The first thing she noticed when she entered the Pale Realm was the eerie quiet. From the waxy, chess board patterned walls and ground to the dark sky dotted with stars, the Realm was deathly still. She took a few timid steps forward, stepping into what looked like an abandoned town that must have belonged to the White chess pieces.

A loud clomping shattered the silence. Vira turned around and saw a figure advancing on her with startling speed. Rooted to the spot, she saw as it drew closer that it was a dark red horse holding a shield and weilding a double edged sword. Her brain screamed at her to run, but her legs wouldn't respond.

_Get out of the way…get out of the way…_

Leaping forward and swinging the sword wildly, the Red knight shouted, "You! Don't move!"

_Get out of the way!_

She swung the croquet mallet, deflecting a blow from the sword. The knight hopped back a pace and swung his weapon down in a mighty chop. Vira let out a high pitched gasp, blocking him again. His blow failed to break the mallet, but the force knocked it from Vira's hands. Defenseless, Vira froze with the horse's sword point inches from her throat.

"You're my prisoner" it snarled.

Before she could react, something soared over her head, knocking the Red knight backwards. She swept her mallet off the ground and stood back, watching the two figures as they leaped and slashed at each other. The figure that had jumped over her was a White Knight, identical to the Red knight except for his color.

Vira sprang forward as the White knight fell back, suffering a deep cut to the shoulder. She swung the mallet and the hooked end sunk deep into the Red horse's unprotected neck. As she wrenched the mallet free, blood spurted from the puncture she had made, spattering everything that was around it.

She stood staring at the dead chess piece in disbelief until she was pulled away by the White knight. "You okay, m'dear? You look like you've never seen a little bloodshed before."

Vira wiped spots of blood from her cheek and looked down at her red stained apron. "Well…"

"Ahoy! Takaz!"

Another White knight bounded to her rescuer's side. "We have to get to the Castle now, by the King's orders! It won't be much of a good impression for the younger recruits if we show up late, you know!"

He pointed to one of the buildings. Several pawns, rooks, and other varieties of White pieces were gathering outside, talking eagerly.

The one called Takaz gestured to the body of the Red knight. "Well, Etam, I wasn't about to let a villain take this girl prisoner."

Etam looked questioningly at Vira. "Is she a White piece?"

"I'm not sure," Takaz answered, "I didn't have time to ask."

"You'd best find out, then" Etam advised. "If she's with the Red side, you'll have to kill her."

Takaz looked at Vira, then back at Etam. "But I've just rescued her. It's bad form to kill someone you've just rescued."

Their talk of killing her was making Vira nervous, so she decided it was a good time to interrupt. "I can assure you that I'm a White piece."

Etam nodded with satisfaction. "Good." He looked her up and down and said uncertainly, "It's been so long, but I believe we've met before…Alice, I think your name was?"

Vira was getting used to being mistaken for her mother. "Vira. I'm Alice's daughter."

Takaz smiled. "Why didn't we think of it, of course. Alice is grown up now…"

Suddenly they both looked downcast. Takaz looked at Vira solemnly. "We have grown too, hardened by battle and torn by war. Ever since things went wrong the Red pieces have become relentless. They're determined to murder our Queen and wipe us out."

They fell silent, each wrapped up in his own memories of the time before.

At first Vira thought both knights were identical, but as she studied them she saw how very different they were. Takaz was pure white, while Etam was dappled grey. But what really set them apart was their battle scars. Takaz was missing half his left ear and had long scars on each side of his face. He was sporting a fresh wound on his shoulder from the recent fight with the Red horse. Etam had a long, jagged scar that sliced diagonally across his face. It started at his right ear, narrowly missing his eye, and ended at his throat.

When they pulled themselves out of their thoughts, Etam resumed control. "Front and center!" he barked at the group of White pieces. They immediately jumped forward and formed three lines. "It's been heard that the enemy is planning an attack on the Castle. We are to march there, double time, and help those stationed as Castle Guard. Take no prisoners and protect your Queen! Move out!"

The White pieces broke into a swift leaps and bounds, staying in their lines. Etam hung back and spoke quickly to Takaz. "You can take Vira to the Castle in a few minutes. I don't want her caught in the middle of everything."

"Agreed, brother" Takaz answered with a salute.

Etam returned the gesture and promptly caught up with his squad.

"You're brothers?" Vira asked Takaz once the group had disappeared around a corner.

Takaz nodded. "Aye, brothers and Captains of the army. We're responsible for every pawn, knight, rook, and bishop. We're responsible for protecting the Pale Realm and the King and Queen."

They started walking, taking a different route than Etam. "That's why it's so vital that we stop the Red pieces from getting in the Castle. If the Queen dies, Red wins."

"So, if the White Queen dies, you just…_lose_? That's the end of everything?" Vira asked, incredulous.

Takaz looked thoughtful. "There is a way…if a pawn is brought to the center of the Red Realm within an hour of the Queen's death, the pawn will become the new Queen. But to get to the very center, you'd have to get past the Red King. And then there's the complication of getting the White Queen _out _of the Red Realm."

"I've never really been much of a chess player," Vira remarked, "I don't know much about it."

The knight looked around. "You'll learn fast, if you want to stay alive."

They walked on for a few more minutes in silence. Takaz stopped and looked down an alley. "If Red hasn't attacked yet, Etam should have his soldiers ready by now. And if Red _has _attacked, Etam should have disposed of them by now."

He led her down the alley, which ended in a wide town square. Across the square, Vira could see an enormous marble castle, varying in shades from white to black to grey.

Takaz suddenly let out a startled gasp. "No…"

He charged across the square. With no time to think, Vira sped after him.

As they neared the archway that stood in front of the Castle, Vira could see three figures lying on the ground. When she got closer, she could tell that they were a pawn, a rook, and a knight, all slain and lying in blood. Takaz dropped to the ground next to the fallen knight and turned it over. The horse was dappled grey, with a rough scar cut diagonally across his face.

"Etam…"

Vira stopped when she saw Takaz hunched over his brother, allowing him a moment of silence. As tears welled up in her eyes at the sight of the lifeless Etam, she noticed that the world around her was shifting. The chess pieces faded away and the square was replaced by a deep forest. In front of her was a young Alice, accompanied by a man dressed in armor that was sitting on a horse.

Under her breath, Vira whispered the Cheshire Cat's words. "When they are slain, you will see them as Alice knew them."

* * *

"_It was a glorious victory, wasn't it?" said the White Knight, as he came up panting. _

"_I don't know," Alice said doubtfully. "I don't want to be anybody's prisoner. I want to be a Queen." _

"_So you will, when you've crossed the next brook," said the White Knight. "I'll see you safe to the end of the wood -- and then I must go back, you know. That's the end of my move." _

"_Thank you very much," said Alice. "May I help you off with your helmet?" It was evidently more than he could manage by himself: however she managed to shake him out of it at last. _

"_Now one can breathe more easily," said the Knight, putting back his shaggy hair with both hands, and turning his gentle face and large mild eyes to Alice. She thought she had never seen such a strange-looking soldier in all her life.

* * *

_

The forest swirled away and disappeared, leaving Vira in the square. Takaz was standing, breathing heavily as he stood over his brother. Suddenly he threw his head back and roared to the starry sky, "I WILL TASTE THE BLOOD OF ANY RED PIECE THAT STILL STANDS IN THE PALE REALM! THE POWER THEY IMPOSED ON US DIES TODAY! THE SCUM THAT MURDERED MY BROTHER WILL DROWN IN HIS OWN BLOOD!"

He whipped out his mighty sword and made a mad dash to the Castle, his voice booming all around them.

* * *

I'm calling out only echoes respond  
But I scream until my voice is gone  
Crouching in corners and hiding your face  
I'm sick and tired of playing your games  
I'm not alone! I stand amongst the  
Voiceless millions in the unforgiving sun  
Here arm in arm, we parade these streets  
And sing our songs…

We've had enough  
Is there even anything left to explain?  
We've had enough  
Am I really someone you need to restrain?  
We've had enough  
Can't you listen to what we have to say?

Unknowing, we lie in wait for the rain  
To wash away what they have made  
Facedown in the dirt with your foot on my back  
In the distance I hear thunder crash  
C'mon stand up! This system of power and privilege  
Is about to come to an end  
Here come the clouds  
The first drop is falling now…

Our futures burn on red horizons  
Ashes scattered in the winds of change  
Casualty numbers rising now it's  
Time to raise the stakes  
We meant for something more that  
Living just to put food on our plates  
I can't help but wonder  
Why should we participate?

We've had enough  
Is there even anything left to explain?  
We've had enough  
Am I really someone you need to restrain?  
We've had enough  
Can't you listen to what we have to say?

_-Rise Against  
__The First Drop_


	12. Respect for the Pale Deceased

By the time Vira reached the steps Takaz was already inside, slicing down the Red pieces in a storm of fury, blood, and death. The Castle Guards had fought valiantly, and they collapsed in exhaustion as Takaz annihilated the remaining Red soldiers. Vira approached the knight slowly. "Takaz?"

He didn't answer, but whipped his head around to look at her. She froze when his eyes, bloodshot from wrath, connected with her eyes, grey like the realm they were both trying so hard to save, shimmering from tears she hadn't had time to cry.

Takaz broke the eye contact and called over another White knight. "What happened here?"

The knight was smaller than Takaz, with a grey y-shaped mark on his face that branched from between his eyes. "We were marching up to the castle when we were ambushed by the Red pieces. Half of them went in the Castle, the rest stayed to prevent us from getting in. Etam told me to take the rest of our troop and get inside, protect the Queen. I said we weren't going to leave him alone, but he ordered me. I was going to object again, but…"

"What? Go on!" Takaz said. Vira put her hand on his shoulder, a silent plea for him to calm down.

"…his eyes. Something was burning in his eyes and…I just knew that if he was to die, this was how he wanted it. He was roaring and fighting like mad, a true Captain and warrior. I rallied the rest of the group and we broke off, heading for the Castle. Just before we got inside I saw him go down, taking as many Red pieces as he could. The ones that managed to escape him are dead now, dead by your blade."

When Takaz looked at Vira again, his eyes were no longer red.

He had his revenge.

"I have to see the King" Takaz said to the knight. "Help your comrades and take count of those we lost. I won't be long."

The knight threw a somber solute and Takaz led Vira up a small flight of stairs to a door. White silk and grey wall hangings dangled from the walls of the corridors, fluttering gently as the two walked by. In the tranquility of the halls, the battle that had happened in the entrance of the Castle seemed like a dream, but a glance at Takaz's bloody sword was a clear reminder that the fight was all too real, and the wispy wall hangings were curtains of deception.

The first thing Takaz said when they pushed through the doors to the throne room was, "We're too late."

The White King stood alone, his kindly old face wrinkled with distress and worry. With a voice filled with sadness rather than anger, he said, "I'm afraid so. There was nothing we could do. It's over. Red wins."

Vira had silently been wondering why Takaz was so fiercely devoted to protecting the King. She didn't wonder any more. The White King, with no queen at his side, was helpless and spiritless. He was nothing but a broken porcelain chess piece that gazed at them through dismal eyes. She listened to Takaz as he grappled for a solution, forming an idea of her own.

"Your Majesty, we can't let it end here. What about the pawn? I can bring the pawn to the Red Realm, I swear to you. We don't have to surrender!"

The King barely stopped to consider the knight's proposal. "Takaz, you can't go to the Red Realm, I won't allow it."

Takaz's voice was echoing around the wide throne room. "Etam _died_ for you and you give up!"

"If the same happened to you we'd have no hope at all" The King said firmly, still avoiding anger. "You're the only one left for the army now. They need you. This whole realm needs you, no matter how little time we have left."

"An hour." Both pieces were taken by surprise when Vira spoke, having nearly forgotten she was there in the argument. "We have an hour. Takaz doesn't have to leave the Pale Realm…I will."

"Vira, please understand," Takaz said patiently, "the Red pieces are vicious. You saw what they did to Etam's fighters. They tried to slaughter you when you first set foot here. Had Etam and I not been there, you would be dead."

In her former silence, Vira had already prepared her answer. "I wasn't ready. I am now. I know what they can do and I saw what they're capable of. Let me take the pawn to the Red Realm."

Takaz turned from her hopeful eyes to the King, who was slightly taken aback. "Your Majesty?"

He smiled. "She's your soldier, Takaz."

Takaz looked back at Vira. At the doors of the Castle, the others were preoccupied with clearing the entrance hall. The noise from the proceedings traveled through the Castle, but the throne room was an island of silence as the knight pondered. He looked Vira up and down, from the fierce devotion in her eyes to the ordinary croquet mallet that became a dangerous weapon in her hands. At last, he nodded slowly. "Alright then…but be careful."

The King reached into his robes and withdrew a small pawn. With small clicking sounds it leaped across the tiled floor and into Vira's pocket. Takaz patted her shoulder and lead her out of the throne room. Neither spoke as they walked back through the halls, the weight of Vira's new responsibility restricting any conversation.

They left the Castle without a word from the various soldiers, who seemingly understood that something important was happening. Side by side, Takaz and Vira walked down the steps to a swirling red portal that was messily torn in midair.

Takaz examined the portal briefly. "I wonder how many pawns they sacrificed for this one."

Vira shot him an appalled look. "Sacrificed?"

"Oh yes," Takaz said, "that's the only way to make a portal between the realms. By the looks of this one, they only used just enough to get through."

Vira did her best to swallow her fear as she bid the pure white horse goodbye and stepped into the Red Realm.

* * *

Exhausted, Alice collapsed on the rocky ground. She pushed herself up on her elbows and looked around. The ground sloped into pools of lava that swirled red and orange. A forked path with a sign that read "Pale Realm" drew her attention from the lava. She sat up, still breathing heavily, her hands and arms sore and scratched from her battle with the Centipede.

"Alice? Alice!" The Cheshire Cat emerged from the path to the Pale Realm and trotted over to her.

"Cat," Alice said breathlessly, "help me up…Vira…"

"She's alright" the Cat said, repeating Vira's words. "I talked to her. She said she's alright. The question is, are _you _alright?"

He pulled her to her feet and she leaned against a protruding rock. "No." She added with reluctance, "I'm forty years old; I can't do all the things I used to be able to do. I wish I could…"

She pushed herself off of the rock and started towards the Pale Realm. The Cat stayed with her, matching her pace so she wouldn't rush.

They turned down the path side by side, moving as one. When they reached the shattered stairway the Cat said, "This is where I last saw her."

Further up there were scratches on the ground, a sign that the croquet mallet had been used. Alice bent down and ran her hand over the marks. "Then she can't have gotten far."

Together they stepped through the portal. Alice looked around at the empty Pale Realm. Not far from where they were standing the corpse of a Red knight was laying on the ground. A trickle of dry blood led to his neck.

Alice was staring at the corpse, transfixed. The Cat gently tapped her arm and led her away from it. "Feel no pity for the Red pieces, Alice. They would kill Vira as soon as look at her."

Now she followed the Cat through the Realm, her eyes roving the black and grey buildings. Black like a dress…grey like eyes…

They stopped at the square in front of the Castle. Alice became instantly alert when she saw several figures moving near the steps to the Castle.

The Cat reassured her, "Don't worry, those are White pieces."

As they drew closer one of the pieces barked out, "Is it friends or foes that approach?"

He answered, "Is that you, Takaz? It's the Cheshire Cat and Alice, the mother of Vira."

The piece, a pure white knight with a wounded shoulder, hopped out to meet them. "So this is Alice." He studied her face for a moment, then started walking back to the Castle. "Alice, I don't know how to put this any other way, but Vira is…gone."

"What?" Alice grabbed his bandaged shoulder, causing him to wince. "Gone? You mean…"

"No," he said hastily, "not dead. She's gone to the Red Realm."

"That's a relief" the Cat remarked wryly.

"I have to go after her," Alice said, "is a portal nearby?"

Takaz blocked Alice's view of the portal. "About as close as one can be, but you're in no fit state to venture through it just yet. You're out of breath and paler than our realm."

He sat her down at the Castle steps. To the right of the steps, several bodies of White soldiers were laid out on the glassy ground. Thin white cloth was to be spread over them, bearing a picture of two knights standing back to back holding their swords in front of them. Between the knights was the crest of the King and Queen, a circle of chess pieces surrounding a picture of the Castle.

Just before the sheet obscured her view, Alice saw a knight with a fearsome scar across his face. Takaz noticed the look in her eyes and said, "That was Etam, an old friend of yours. He was my brother." The knight looked sadly at the form under the cloth and corrected himself. "He _is _my brother."

Memories of her childhood, meeting the knight in the woods, came back to her. Quietly, she said, "I'm sorry."

They watched as the remaining soldiers respectfully smoothed the sheet over the bodies. Takaz said, "I know what it's like to lose someone close. I don't want you to lose Vira. Once the ceremony is over and our respects are paid, we'll join you in the Red Realm…if you'll allow us to."

Alice could see that all of their heads, including the Cheshire Cat, were bowed in silence. She bowed her head as well and whispered, "How could I not?"

Behind them the crimson portal swirled, a silent door to death.

* * *

I put it all on black, no color you're all dressed in  
And a stab in the back left you bleeding on the floor  
And I'm mourning the death, the recent passing of your insides  
I smile in regret every time I think of how I spoke to you

I put it all in back of my mind where I hold you  
I'm just trying to keep track how far back it really goes  
And I'm living in lack of the blood sent from the heavens  
I'm just trying to relax as the killer's waiting right outside my door

What's black and white?  
What's read all over?  
This tired book, this organ donor

Sweet blasphemy, my giving tree  
It hasn't rained in years  
I bring to you this sacrificial offering of virgin ears  
Leave it to me, I remain free from all the comforts of home  
And where that is, I'm pleased as piss to say, I'll never really know

I put them all in black, the four walls of my bedroom  
And I trimmed them in red, peeled your picture off the wall  
And I'm living in lack of the blood sent from your heartbeat  
That arrived in your neck every time I salivated over you

What's upside down?  
What's coated in silver?  
This crucifix is my four leaf clover

Sweet blasphemy, my giving tree  
It hasn't rained in years  
I bring to you this sacrificial offering of virgin ears  
Leave it to me, I remain free from all the comforts of home  
And where that is, I'm pleased as piss to say, I'll never really know

One of these days, it's gonna catch up to you  
Throwing looks like those around  
One of these nights, I promise to you  
I'll soon be sleeping sound  
As soon as I leave town

_-Alkaline Trio  
__All on Black_


	13. Whatever It Takes

Alone.

In.

Silence.

Paralyzed by sudden, unexpected anxiety,Vira froze. She slowly turned on her heels, eyes roving the Red Realm. It was a mirror image of the Pale Realm…at least, it would be if the walls were checked with black instead of that horrific shade of red. She gripped the croquet mallet tighter until her knuckles turned white. She looked over her shoulder at the portal, no longer swirling. With a steadying breath she faced forward.

No turning back now.

She started to walk through the red streets, knowing that she didn't belong in this place. She stopped in the middle of a wide square, hemmed in by buildings. Remembering the way she had walked with Takaz,she reasoned that it might be the same way here. "Of course," she said aloud to herself, "reason has no place here."

Unaware that she was being watched, Vira kept walking.

She entered an alleyway and had gotten halfway in when she heard a crash behind her. Without turning around she dropped to the floor, just in time to avoid the Red bishop that leaped over her head and blocked her path. She pushed herself sideways as a laser from the bishop's staff scorched the ground where she had been crouching moments before. In one fluid movement she jumped to her feet and swung the croquet mallet, sending a croquet ball to meet the second laser. As the projectiles connected in midair the laser was destroyed, along with the Red piece.

Vira couldn't resist twirling the croquet mallet as she stepped over the dead bishop. "That was for Etam."

As she walked through the alley it began to slope upwards, becoming more and more like a hallway. She stopped at three large windows on the left wall and moved to the middle one. She peered out and her blood turned cold.

Held between two rooks was the White Queen. She stood straight, her head held high. The Red King was standing in front of her, flanked by a knight and a bishop. They were speaking, but their words were inaudible from Vira's distance. She discovered that the window was partially broken on the right side, and leaned to the breakage to hear what was being said.

A mocking voice that could only be the King's drifted through the air. "…the fall of the Pale Realm. Tell me, _your majesty_, how does it feel to know that the White pieces have lost, that you have failed, and that you are going to die?"

The stolid Queen answered without a hint of fear, "Nothing you say will upset me. I do not fear failure, I do not fear death, and I do not fear you."

The King scowled. "Very well." The knight at his side handed him a long silver sword, the hilt adorned with jewels. The rooks forced the Queen to her knees as the King held the sword over her. "I give you this final chance…bow your head and beg for life."

Vira leaned closer to the window, her heart pounding.

Refusing to bow her head, defiance in her eyes, the Queen didn't respond.

The young girl's eyes snapped shut as the sword came down. When Vira looked out the window again she saw the Queen's head on the ground, the body thrown to the side by uncaring Red rooks. That was when the bishop turned his head to the window and saw her. He pointed and shouted something, causing the Red King to whirl around and look until all attention was on Vira.

She leaped backwards and sideways as a long beam shattered the window and hit the wall. She regained her balance and ran. In the checkered blur of white and red walls she saw something solid…a door. She kept running, the Queen's final words looping over and over in her head, the door at the end of the hallway never growing closer. At last she reached it and tore it open without hesitation.

It led to a wide, empty room…empty except for the Red King.

She stood facing him, panting slightly. He was still holding the bloody sword. "I killed your leader and you still wish to challenge me? You White pieces never learn." She could already tell by the way he held the sword that he didn't know how to use it. He grinned arrogantly, but there was a hint of fear behind his eyes. "Are you ready to die?"

Vira held the croquet mallet in both hands and said with a grim smile, "Are you?"

His smug grin faltered for a moment. Rather than attacking Vira, he threw the long sword at the wall behind him. The weapon went straight through and the wall disappeared, followed by the other three. The wall behind Vira melted away, showing that the hall she had been running through was a drawbridge. It was the only thing that connected the platform they were standing on to the rest of the Realm.

The sudden change of surroundings distracted Vira, but only for a second. She saw the King coming, armed with a shorter sword, and braced herself, swinging the mallet as soon as he was in range. She dealt his head a heavy blow, but a sharp pain in her arm and the feeling of warm blood told her she had been hit. The King crashed into the glassy floor while Vira stepped back to look at her arm. The cut wasn't too deep, she decided, and ran forward to attack again.

Struggling to stand, the King whipped the sword upwards. She stopped short and deflected the blow, stepping back a pace to prevent herself from falling over the edge. He finally stood up, but Vira was too quick. She struck him again, sending him staggering sideways. He teetered on the edge of the platform and had almost regained his balance when a croquet ball sent him spiraling to his death.

Vira stepped back to the center of the floor. "That was for the Queen."

She felt movement in her pocket, then heard a clatter on the floor. The small white pawn that the White King gave her had jumped down to the ground. She smiled down at it. "Why…I must be at the center of the Red Realm."

White light started to surround the piece, growing larger and brighter. Vira stepped back in awe as the pawn was engulfed in the pure glow. When the light had reached its peak it started to diminish, growing softer until it disappeared. In the pawn's place was a new White Queen.

Vira had started to approach the new Queen when there was a rumble from beneath her feet. Red pieces were materializing on the red squares of the floor, completely surrounding the Queen and blocking her from view.

Growing louder and louder was a different rumbling, coming from across the platform. Suddenly the door that led to the drawbridge burst open and a flood of White pieces charged through. Vira was about to call out Takaz's name when something smashed the back of her head, dropping her to the floor.

She closed her eyes against the pain, feeling herself being lifted into the air. Someone was screaming her name…

The noise faded as she passed out.

* * *

Takaz and Alice stood side by side, backed by the remaining soldiers of the Pale Realm. The Cheshire Cat hung back, watching them make the final preparations for their attack on the Red Realm. Alice had pleaded with him to go with the army, but he declined. She was among friends now. 

Two by two, in solemn formation, the pieces stepped through the portal until all were gathered on the other side. Takaz said, "This is the time to reclaim our lives and avenge those lost. Double time! Let's move!"

All together they started at a swift trot. No words passed between Alice and Takaz. The knight was alert, knowing he was in dangerous enemy territory. Alice knew this too, making sure she didn't slow him down.

With a smooth turn they entered a narrow alley. Halfway in, Takaz called a halt. There was a Red bishop lying in their path, a croquet ball embedded in his skull. "It looks like Vira knows what she's doing."

Alice couldn't bring herself to respond. She obeyed when the knight called for them to move again, but her mind was somewhere else entirely.

_No, no, she's becoming a killer this can't happen…_

When the ground began to slope upwards she hardly noticed…but when Takaz called a second halt she was brought back to the present with a jolt. There were three windows on one wall, the middle one shattered. On the opposite wall were scorch marks from the weapon of a bishop.

"Captain!" A rook that was stopped near the window had called out. "I think you should see this, sir."

Takaz looked through the broken glass. The Queen's body was still on the ground, untouched since her execution. The floor between her neck and her head was coated in blood. "It couldn't have been like that for long" Takaz said, shaking his head.

All of their eyes were torn from the corpse as a muffled rumbling sound came from down the hallway. The Captain drew his sword. "LET'S GO!"

The army took off, pounding the floor and making a rumbling sound themselves. Alice was hard-pressed to keep up with the mad dash of Takaz, who was roaring encouragements to the army. A door was speeding up to meet them, growing closer and closer until Alice felt the handle in her grasp. She wrenched the door open and quickly pressed herself against the wall to avoid the storming chess pieces.

"TAKE NO PRISONERS!"

She followed the last ones out and across a bridge that led them to a platform filled with Red pieces. As soon as she set foot on the floor she froze, eyes locked on the figure on the other side of the arena. Though she only got a brief glimpse of his altered features before he turned around, she identified him as the Mad Hatter.

Alice felt like the world stopped. The only thing that mattered was that the Hatter was disappearing with her daughter in his arms.

"VIRA!"

She started to run forward, running for the place where the Hatter had been seconds before, calling Vira even though it was too late. Had Takaz not grabbed her arm as she ran by him, she would have gone right over the edge of the platform.

"Alice! Alice, stop! Someone else grab her!"

A nearby White piece, a rook, gripped her shoulders, restraining her from getting away. Still trying to run, tears filling her eyes, she screamed, "Vira! Vira, he's got Vira! Let go! Vira! VIRA!"

"ALICE!" Takaz bellowed.

She stopped moving and gave up her screams. The rook released her and she stood on shaking legs. Her voice crackled with sobs. "Wh-where's he taking her?"

A gentle, yet strong voice said, "I'm terribly sorry, dear."

Alice turned around and looked at the arena. Red pieces, some headless, some mutilated beyond recognition, littered the floor. Standing in the middle of the carnage was the one who had spoken, the White Queen. The White pieces formed a half ring behind her, overtaken by awe.

She stepped around the bloody corpses until she reached Alice. "Are you prepared to do whatever it takes to get your child back?"

Alice's answer was immediate. "Yes."

"Then you must follow her, though to follow the Hatter to his world is like pursuing a Bandersnatch to its den. He will have all the advantages, and it will take all the skill you have to stay alive."

Alice looked down at the knife she was turning in her hands. "That's very encouraging."

"Lies won't make your quest any easier" the Queen replied. "Would you rather enter his realm delusional…or ready and prepared for the worst?"

After a pause Alice answered, "I want to be ready."

The Queen smiled. "You are."

Alice nodded. "Thank you." She turned to Takaz and threw her arms around his neck. "You were wonderful. Thank you for helping Vira. I hope you can rebuild your lives."

She stepped back and he patted her shoulder. "Good luck Alice."

Out a few feet from the edge of the platform, the Hatter had left a portal. Alice stood at the edge now, thinking about the dangers ahead, knowing Vira was in the thick of it all. She took one last glance over her shoulder. The White pieces were watching her in silent admiration.

Alice jumped. She slid into the portal and was taken away in a rush of air, leaving Takaz and the White pieces behind.

* * *

Oh you know I did it  
It's over and I feel fine  
Nothing you could say is gonna change my mind  
Waiting and I wait at the longest night  
Nothing like the taste to sweet decline

I was down, I fell, I fell so fast  
Dropping like the grains in an hourglass  
Never say forever cause nothing last  
Dancing with the thorns of my buried past

Never mind there's nothing I can do  
Bet your life there's something killing you  
It's a shame we have to die my dear  
No one's getting out of here, alive  
This time  
What a way to go, but have no fear  
No one's getting out of here, alive  
This time

Finished, I'm getting you off my chest  
Made you come clean in a dirty dress  
A promise is a promise you kept in check  
Heart across a heart that beats its best

Take a good hard look for the very last time  
The very last one in a very long line  
Only took a second to say goodbye  
Then the pleasure 'bout the pleasure's  
Been mine, all mine

Never mind there's nothing I can do  
Bet your life there's something killing you  
Ain't no way, DOA  
Ain't no way, DOA

Take a good hard look for the very last time  
The very last one in a very long line  
Only took a second to say goodbye  
Then the pleasure 'bout the pleasure's  
Been mine, all mine

Never mind there's nothing I can do  
Bet your life there's something killing you  
It's a shame we have to die my dear  
No one's getting out of here, alive  
This time  
What a way to go, but have no fear  
No one's getting out of here, alive  
This time  
It's a shame we have to disappear  
No one's getting out of here, alive  
This time  
This time  
This time

_-Foo Fighters  
__DOA_


	14. Minds of Madness: The Mad Hatter

_Tick…_

_Tock…_

Flawless.

_Tick…_

My footsteps match the perfectly timed sounds that emanate from behind those mirrored walls.

_Tock…_

If I stand in the center of it all, scarcely breathing, they surround me. They grow louder in the silence, a thousand clockwork hearts beating in the walls. I am one with my creations.

_Tick…_

Now I wander my own hallways, alone. Every wall reflects what I am, or rather, what I have become. I'm not human any longer, that I know. Before I was able to transform Looking Glass Land, I had to transform myself. It was the Queen of Hearts who suggested adding mercury to my tea. The results would come in time. I thought she was wrong, as the results came almost instantly.

_Tock…_

The Queen of Hearts is never wrong.

I forgot about weak, watery tea. Mercury was all I needed. It made me want to change not just myself, but everything around me. My fascination with time became an obsession. I was dreaming up contraptions without knowing where these ideas were coming from. I isolated myself in my work, creating this realm that only I can control. The March Hare and Dormouse tried to stop me, they tried to help me, they tried to _save_ me. I imprisoned them, using them as test subjects for every new machine I could come up with. When the Gryphon tried to free them I trapped him too.

I pushed every invention to the limit, a limit they couldn't handle. Even though my mind was in a mercury-induced haze I slowly began to realize…I was hurting my friends, but I was killing myself. I was only human.

_Tick…_

Something had to be done. With the help of my creations and all of my clockwork knowledge, I started to alter what I was. Fragile bones were replaced with metal, nerves with wires, a beating heart for a ticking clock. Thoughts still danced with mercury that was my blood through a brain of gears, wires, and tubes.

_Tock…_

I wasn't human anymore. I carried on with my experiments, no longer cringing at their screams, no longer feeling regret for their pain. They are curious creatures, the Dormouse and the Hare. They are surrounded by machines, pushed to the brink of death…and yet they refuse to die. I recall asking the Hare the reason he struggles to endure the tests I put them through.

His reason?

_Tick…_

Alice.

Such hopefulness in such hopeless creatures.

I've been waiting a long time to see Alice again. I've waited long enough. Now I have her, locked in the same lab where I keep the Dormouse and Hare. She was taken away all those years ago. I'll make sure she stays this time.

I want to see the life drained from her emerald eyes. I want to see her pale skin grow lighter. I want to make her a machine.

_Tock…_

Perfect.

_Tick…_

Flawless.

_Tock…

* * *

_

He who makes a beast out of himself  
Gets rid of the pain of being a man

Caught here in a fiery blaze, won't lose my will to stay.  
I tried to drive all through the night,  
The heat stroke ridden weather, the barren empty sights.  
No oasis here to see, the sand is singing deathless words to me.

Can't you help me as I'm startin' to burn (all alone).  
Too many doses and I'm starting to get an attraction.  
My confidence is leaving me on my own (all alone).  
No one can save me and you know I don't want the attention.

As I adjust to my new sights the rarely tired lights will take me to new heights  
My hand is on the trigger I'm ready to ignite.  
Tomorrow might not make it but everything's all right.  
Mental fiction follow me; show me what it's like to be set free.

Can't you help me as I'm startin' to burn (all alone).  
Too many doses and I'm starting to get an attraction.  
My confidence is leaving me on my own (all alone).  
No one can save me and you know I don't want the attention.

So sorry you're not here I've been sane too long my vision's so unclear.  
Now take a trip with me but don't be surprised when things aren't what they seem.

Caught here in a fiery blaze, won't lose my will to stay.  
These eyes won't see the same, after I flip today.

Sometimes I don't know why we'd rather live than die,  
We look up towards the sky for answers to our lives.  
We may get some solutions but most just pass us by,  
Don't want your absolution cause I can't make it right.  
I'll make a beast out of myself, gets rid of all the pain of being a man.

Can't you help me as I'm startin' to burn (all alone).  
Too many doses and I'm starting to get an attraction.  
My confidence is leaving me on my own (all alone).  
No one can save me and you know I don't want the attention.

So sorry you're not here I've been sane too long my vision's so unclear  
Now take a trip with me but don't be surprised when things aren't what they seem.  
I've known it from the start  
These good ideas will tear your brain apart  
Scared but you can follow me  
I'm too weird to live but much too rare to die.

_-Avenged Sevenfold  
__Bat Country_


	15. The Insane Memory

Vira awoke with a throbbing pain in the back of her head. Keeping her eyes closed, she struggled to clear her mind so her thoughts could fall into some recognizable order. She heard herself mutter, "Takaz."

_Takaz. The Pale Realm. The White Queen._

All around her she could hear the low, continuous drone of machinery. She wasn't in the Pale Realm. Slowly, she tried to open her eyes and turn her head. "Where am I?"

Immediately the pain in the back of her head started to increase, and she tried to press her hand against it. When she realized she couldn't move her arm, she opened her eyes all the way and looked at what was restraining her. She was bound to a metal table by leather straps that were pulled tight over her wrists and ankles.

She looked up at the strange room she was in. A huge machine was creaking and moving behind the glass wall across from her. To her right was a tall door with strange symbols engraved on it. Farther down on her left were two more machines, one on the glass wall, one on the wall her table was against.

The constant sound of a ticking clock could be heard over the hum of the machines. Vira struggled briefly against the straps, but found it was near impossible for her to move. She looked down at the two machines in the room. For a moment, she thought she saw a dark shape moving against the machine on the far wall. At first she dismissed it as a trick of the dim light, but the shape moved again, in the same place.

Vira leaned off of the table as far as the straps would allow her and called, "Is someone down there?"

There was a moment of silence before a weak voice answered, "No one but us."

The leather straps were cutting into her skin, but Vira was growing curious. "Who are you? Can you tell me where I am? Hello?"

There was more silence before she could hear the thing that had answered snoring softly. She was about to give up when a different voice called out, "Dormy! Wake up! Don't you know who that is?"

Vira turned to look at the machine that was on the same side of the room she was. A brown-furred rabbit was strapped against the metal. The rabbit's eyes were sunken and bloodshot. Half of his body was made of rusty metal and wire that jerked when he spoke. He turned his tired eyes towards Vira. "Alice!"

She was about to respond when the creature opposite the rabbit woke up. It let out a strange sound, like a pained yawn. "It's just a human. Probably useless."

The rabbit looked like he was trying to lunge off of the machine. "Oh, Dormy! Don't you understand? It's Alice! You must remember Alice! I told you she would come back!" His mechanical legs jumped and kicked with every word he said.

"What did you call that thing?" Vira asked the rabbit, trying to forget the growing pain in her arms.

The rabbit turned his eyes to her again and said kindly, "Dear Alice, I know it's been a long while, but surely you remember the Dormouse? He's the one who told us that lovely story about the three sisters in the treacle well…"

"Oh…" Vira could see the pure hopefulness in his eyes and knew she wouldn't have the heart to tell him she wasn't Alice. "…of course I remember."

The rabbit's features twisted into a joyful smile. "And you must remember me, the March Hare?"

Vira nodded.

His smile grew. "Alice dear, weren't those the happy days? Such carefree tea parties were held between us and the Hatter…"

His reminiscing was cut short by a shrill scream from the Dormouse. The creature, whose body was almost completely gears, wires, and metal plates, was thrashing wildly against the straps that held it down. It was screeching and clawing at the metal, its clockwork body jerking and twitching wildly. His eyes were wide and full of fear and pure insanity, and tears spilled freely over his face. "The Hatter!" he screamed, "THE HATTER!"

Vira wished she could cover her ears, but the straps were still biting at her wrists. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the high pitched, heart wrenching sound of the deranged Dormouse as he wailed, "Why _is _a raven like a writing-desk? Twinkle…twinkle…MAD AS A HATTER! HE'S MURDERING TIME! HE'S…MURDERING…"

A long, thin needle suddenly sprang from the machine and jabbed the Dormouse in the throat. He fell silent, his eyes swirling with madness. He looked directly at Vira, his voice suddenly calm and serene. "He's murdering so much more than time, you know…" His eyes were beginning to cloud over and the lids were starting to shut, allowing his final tears to trickle down his tattered whiskers. The wild twitching of his mechanical body slowed and stopped. "Treacle well…it was treacle, you know…"

The Dormouse closed his eyes and lay still.

The rabbit sighed. "Asleep again, Dormy? Very well. I shall speak to Alice myself."

Vira leaned back against the table. She had a sinking feeling that Dormy wasn't asleep. Her feeling was confirmed when the room began to fade and the machine's hum grew distant. The cold metal table became and overstuffed chair that was placed at a long table covered with teapots and tea cups. She glanced down at the end and saw Alice sitting in a large armchair, her arms folded in front of her. On one side the Hatter and the brown-furred rabbit were sitting with the Dormouse between them.

* * *

_Here the Dormouse shook itself, and began singing in its sleep, "Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle, twinkle…" and went on so long that they had to pinch it to make it stop. _

"_Well, I'd hardly finished the first verse," said the Hatter, "when the Queen jumped up and bawled out, "He's murdering the time! Off with his head!"' _

"_How dreadfully savage!" exclaimed Alice. _

"_And ever since that," the Hatter went on in a mournful tone, "he won't do a thing I ask! It's always six o'clock now."_

_A bright idea came into Alice's head. "Is that the reason so many tea-things are put out here?" she asked. _

"_Yes, that's it," said the Hatter with a sigh, "it's always tea-time, and we've no time to wash the things between whiles."_

"_Then you keep moving round, I suppose"' said Alice. _

"_Exactly so," said the Hatter, "as the things get used up" _

"_But what happens when you come to the beginning again?" Alice ventured to ask. _

"_Suppose we change the subject," the March Hare interrupted, yawning. "I'm getting tired of this. I vote the young lady tells us a story." _

"_I'm afraid I don't know one"' said Alice, rather alarmed at the proposal. _

"_Then the Dormouse shall"' they both cried. "Wake up, Dormouse!" And they pinched it on both sides at once. _

_The Dormouse slowly opened his eyes. "I wasn't asleep,' he said in a hoarse, feeble voice, "I heard every word you fellows were saying." _

"_Tell us a story!" said the March Hare. _

"_Yes, please do"' pleaded Alice. _

"_And be quick about it," added the Hatter, "or you'll be asleep again before it's done."_

"_Once upon a time there were three little sisters," the Dormouse began in a great hurry, "and their names were Elsie, Lacie, and Tillie; and they lived at the bottom of a well…"_

"_What did they live on?" said Alice, who always took a great interest in questions of eating and drinking. _

"_They lived on treacle," said the Dormouse, after thinking a minute or two.

* * *

_

The memory faded, and Vira found herself back on the metal table in the cold lab. The March Hare was oblivious to the fact that the Dormouse was dead. He shook his head, still smiling. "The poor creature, he's always so tired without his tea. The Hatter has denied us tea time, six o'clock or otherwise."

Vira turned away from the Hare, unable to look at his hope filled eyes any longer. The pain in her head had been reduced to a dull ache, and she carefully rested her head against the table. She didn't have long to rest before the door on the other end of the room opened. A tall, skinny frame filled the doorway, surveying the lab before stepping inside. She realized with a jolt of fear that this must be the Mad Hatter. He walked into the room, then turned and walked in her direction.

Her heart was pounding as he stood over her, and she nearly screamed when he produced a long, fine needle from his pocket. He set it aside on a shelf and reached for the leather straps. His voice was soft, with a hint of sadistic malice. "Don't be afraid, Alice. It won't take long, a few minutes of pain. Then you'll be perfect. You'll never feel pain again. Wouldn't you like that, Alice? To never feel pain?"

He untied her wrists and ankles and she sat up on the table. He reached for her wrist, slowly. She started to move her arm away and began inching sideways off the table, planning to make a run for the door. In a lightning fast move he grabbed her wrist and squeezed, twisting her arm. She let out a cry of pain and struggled to get away, fighting harder as he reached for the needle.

"You're not getting away, Alice" he snarled, pulling her closer to the shelf where the syringe was just out of his reach. "I'm going to make sure of that."

"Let go!" Vira snapped angrily, wishing she had her croquet mallet. She would have already buried a croquet ball in his head, or slashed him in the throat. In an attempt to make him release her, she shouted, "I'm not Alice!"

The hand reaching for the needle froze. Suddenly he grabbed both her wrists and pulled her in close to his face. His black eyes narrowed as they burned into her grey ones. He growled dangerously, "You aren't Alice."

Her anger was quickly replaced by fear. His face was crooked and gnarled, his breath hot against her face. For every second she didn't reply, he squeezed her wrists tighter. She finally cried, "I'm her daughter!"

He seemed to consider this for a second. Suddenly, in one fluid movement, he snatched the needle off the shelf and jabbed it in her arm. She gasped at the sharp prick, eyes widening in fear as the fluid in the needle was pumped into her veins. She felt all the strength she had leaving her body. He threw the empty syringe to the floor and released her wrists. She slid back to the table and lay limp, unable to fight, unable to run.

The Hatter grinned and scooped her into his arms, then turned and carried her out through the door. She wondered where he was taking her, what he was going to do to her, hoping her life didn't end like the Dormouse. He brought her through a labyrinth of hallways before they came to another, smaller room. In the center was a large cage with thick, metal bars. She closed her eyes as she heard the jingling of metal.

She was thrust forcefully into the cage and heard the door slam shut behind her. "I'll take care of you later, daughter of Alice." He locked the door of the cage and left the room.

Vira still couldn't move. She opened her eyes and looked around. Something dark was moving in the corner of the cage. Something big. It stood up, almost doubling in size from when it had been lying down. Large paws thumped on the ground as the creature neared her, accompanied by the rustling of wings and the clacking of a beak.

She closed her eyes, afraid to look at the hulking shadow.

* * *

Are we so alone, so distant, so forgotten  
As we think ourselves to be?  
These are our lives, but did they ever even matter?  
Are we worth remembering?

As these machines feed on the tears  
Of broken lives and dying dreams  
We're throwing wrenches in the gears  
Our lives will not be lived in vain

When this is all said and done  
We've spent this life on the run  
Judged by the company we keep

Our language buried inside  
These lungs that keep us alive  
We breathe so selfishly

Promises we plan to break  
Are made in whispered voices  
'Cause our despair knows many names  
We make mistakes  
But we apologize with roses  
We never stopped to smell on the way

These machines feed on the tears  
Of broken lives and dying dreams  
We're throwing wrenches in the gears  
Our lives will not be lived in vain

We fell from the sky today  
We melt into balls of clay  
We sell ourselves everyday  
Don't tell me how to live this way

Pushed so far to the edge  
We teeter just on the brink  
You can lead me to the bloodbath  
But you can't make me drink

As these machines feed on the tears  
Of broken lives and dying dreams  
Throwing wrenches in the gears  
Our lives will not be lived in vain

_-Rise Against  
Tip the Scales_


	16. Smoke and Mirrors

Alice tumbled through the portal without having any idea where she would end up. Amid the rushing air she felt solid ground beneath her feet, and dropped to one knee to keep herself upright. She steadied herself and stood up, looking around the Hatter's realm. She was in a small room with hallways leading off both sides.

She looked down both hallways. "Now what am I supposed to do? Vira could be anywhere."

"Look straight ahead, or askance, whichever way you choose you must always look in the right direction."

Alice looked all around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Cat? Where are you?"

The Cat's head appeared by her shoulder. "It wouldn't be wise for me to stay long, Alice, as creatures of Wonderland are more easily tracked than those from the Outside World."

She turned to look at him, but he had faded away. "Wait…alright. I'll find her myself." She chose the hallway to the left and started to search for her daughter in a world controlled by a madman.

As she got deeper into the brick hallway, she noticed it was starting to get narrower. She had to bend lower and lower as she progressed until she found herself crawling along the tiles just to move forward.

"I know Wonderland is strange," she said aloud as she struggled through the shrinking space, "but this…this is just…"

She never finished what she was saying. Just as she was beginning to think she should turn back, the brick tunnel opened up into a wide hallway. Alice crawled out of the cramped space and stood up in the new hallway. The walls were made of mirrors, endlessly reflecting each other. The reflections were distorted and twisted, giving the impression that the mirrors were melting.

Alice walked out into the maze of mirrors and discovered that she didn't cast a reflection. "…incredible…"

She froze as the sound of shattering glass echoed from somewhere in the maze. Holding her knife ready, she slowly walked towards the sound. As she moved deeper into the hallway, she could hear the sound of mechanical whirring. Stopping at a corner and holding her breath, she listened carefully. Something was around the bend.

Alice leaped in front of the new hall and gasped, nearly dropping the knife. Vira was standing at the far end, facing away from her. "Vira!" She started walking with a quickening pace. Why wasn't Vira turning around?

Alice came to an abrupt stop when she heard a crunch underfoot. She lifted her boot to find pieces of broken glass littering the ground. After the crunch of the glass she heard another sound…the quiet whirring of a machine.

The split second before 'Vira' turned around, Alice knew what she was facing. She backed up and threw the knife, hitting the figure dead center. The machine dropped to the ground, jerking and sputtering as it still tried to function with a knife buried inside it.

Alice walked over to the automaton that had been made to look like Vira and twisted the knife as she pulled it out. The machine shuddered and died. She looked at the walls and saw the crippled machine's reflection. "The Hatter must be quicker with building these than I thought. He'd better not have hurt Vira." She slid the blade in her pocket and looked around at all the mirrors. She repeated louder, "He'd better not have!"

Out of the corner of her eye, for a fleeting second, she saw the Mad Hatter's reflection retreat from view. She turned slowly, looking at all of the mirrors. "I'm coming for you!" She kicked the automaton, scattering gears and pieces of metal along with the broken glass. "You've gone too far! It doesn't matter where you go, because I'll find you! And as soon as I do, I'll kill you!" She started walking, confident even though she didn't know where she was going. "YOU COME NEAR ME AND YOU'RE DEAD!"

She walked on in silence after that, always staying alert, checking every mirror before she turned down another hallway. She began to notice that she could hear the ticking of a clock…no, several clocks, all ticking together, in the walls. The sound grew louder and Alice filled with hope, hope that maybe the ticking clocks could lead her to Vira. But as she continued, the sound began to fade. She backtracked and tried a different hallway. When the clocks sounded farther away, she tried yet another one. No matter how many times Alice retraced her steps and tried different hallways the ticking grew distant, and when she finally lost the sound she felt like she had lost so much more.

Alice leaned against one of the mirrors. "I'm never going to get out of here." As she rested against the wall in silence, she reflected on what she had gone through to find her daughter. Was she just going to give up?

"I'm not leaving without Vira." She looked up and down the halls again. If she got out of the labyrinth of mirrors, what would happen? The Hatter would win.

Alice started to push off the mirror when it shattered. She spun around, expecting to see and automaton waiting for her. Nothing was there. It was simply another hallway that had been concealed by the mirror. Farther into the hallway she heard something different than the whir of the automaton. It was the grinding of a bigger machine.

She grinned. "Smoke and mirrors."

She walked through the long corridor of mirrors, listening to the slow tempo of the machine grow louder. When she had gotten halfway down the hallway, something else could be heard, a strange noise that was overpowering the steady beat of the machinery.

It was the sound of someone screaming.

Alice strained to hear what they were saying. She pressed her ear to one of the walls and heard a high pitched voice loud and clear. "…MAD AS A HATTER! HE'S MURDERING TIME! HE'S…MURDERING…"

The screams stopped and Alice tore herself away from the wall. She suddenly felt extremely cold and dizzy. That voice…could it have been…?

"The Dormouse" she whispered.

She sunk down to the tiled floor, her arms wrapped around her thin form. The Dormouse's tortured screams played over and over in her head, surrounding her, drowning out the humming machine. All she could think about were her friends the Dormouse and March Hare, hooked up to some diabolical device.

Then, even though she tried to keep the mental pictures away, she saw the same thing happening to Vira.

Alice sat on the floor for several minutes, consumed by horror.

A sudden clank of metal snapped her back to her senses. She rose with renewed hate for the Mad Hatter, clutching her knife in her shaking hand. She walked through the rest of the hall, staring straight ahead. The walls changed from mirrors back to bricks, and ended at a door.

Hoping she was prepared for what she would find, Alice pushed open the door.

* * *

Totally freaked out, don't get in my way  
Well, it feels pretty cool and I guess that's okay  
I don't think I'll ever get out of this maze  
Well, like it or not, I prefer it this way

And you say I've been dreaming  
But I've been dreaming for days  
I don't know 'bout the meaning  
So let's keep it this way

Totally screwed up, I think that's alright  
It's just one more reason for feeling uptight  
But don't try to keep me from flying this kite  
I don't mind you watching, just stay out of sight

Down in the hall, imbedded in walls  
Hear them screaming  
Stashed in a bar, a brain in a jar  
No one sees them  
Sucking them blind and draining their minds  
Hear them screaming  
Stashed in a car, a brain in a jar  
No one sees them

Totally freaked out, in every way  
Well, it feels pretty cool, and I guess that's okay  
There's no fucking reason to get me out of this maze  
Well, like it or not, I prefer it this way

_-Bettie Serveert  
__Totally Freaked Out_


	17. Revenge on the Machine

The dark mass stopped moving. Vira could hear it breathing heavily as it stood over her. She kept still and silent, waiting.

"I know you aren't Alice. Are you alright?"

Vira looked up in surprise. The shadowy figure had a kind voice. He sat down and waited for her answer. Feeling was being painfully restored to her numb limbs as she sat up and studied him. "Yes…"

A dim light over the cage allowed her to see the strange creature. It had the body of a lion, but the head and wings of an eagle. "What's your name, child?"

"Vira" she said, glad that the creature was a friendly one. "If…if you don't mind my asking…what are you?" she asked, hoping the question didn't sound rude.

The creature stretched its feathery wings as far as the bars would allow it. "I'm the Gryphon. Keep moving your arms about like that. It will help shake off the effects of the medicine."

She nodded and continued trying to regain control of her body. "Is that what he injected me with?"

The Gryphon pulled his wings back to his side. "It's a vile drug that disables you for a certain period of time, depending on how strong he made it or how much he gives you. I used to get injected with it all the time."

Vira's eyes widened. "Why?"

"I was trapped here in an attempt to rescue the Hare and Dormouse" the Gryphon started, his voice solemn. "I constantly tried to escape. I would pound my wings against the bars and scream death threats at the Hatter whenever he came near. But he would just stand over me with that wicked smile and jab a needle into my neck. I quickly learned that it was useless to fight. He would always be there with the medicine, waiting for the right time to transform me into one of his clockwork monsters."

The girl stood shakily. "That's horrible."

"He'll always come at six, by that clock" the Gryphon said. He pointed to a clock that was set in the floor in front of the cage. Vira looked at the strange clock, then looked around the room. On the wall behind the cage her croquet mallet was mounted on two pegs. She reached through the bars as far as she could, but the wall was just out of reach.

Both of their heads snapped to the front of the room when the door creaked open.

A woman with emerald eyes slid through the door.

"MUM!"

"VIRA!"

Alice ran to the cage where her daughter was reaching out to her. "Mum!"

They hugged through the bars, tears spilling from both their eyes, neither one wanting to let go. "Vira," Alice whispered as she held her daughter, "my Vira."

Vira looked up at her through grey eyes, tears falling like rain from the clouds. As Alice looked down at Vira, she knew that a stormy sky could never be as beautiful.

The Gryphon stood by in respectful silence, watching as mother and daughter embraced. Alice took a small step back, still holding Vira's arms through the bars. "Oh, I have to get you out of here. Gryphon, is there a way?"

The Gryphon shook his head. "I'm sorry, Alice. The Hatter controls this mad realm, and he is the only one who can let us out of here."

Vira looked helplessly at her mother, then at the Gryphon. "There's nothing else we can do?"

The creature's brown eyes roved the room and settled on Alice's pocket. "Do you have a weapon?"

Alice grinned and pulled out the blade. "Does this suit you?"

"Whether it suits me or not doesn't matter" the Gryphon said. "If the Hatter is destroyed, this realm will no longer be under his control. Only then can we escape."

Alice nodded and looked back at Vira. "He'll pay for doing this to you. I swear he will."

Vira smiled. "Be careful."

Alice hugged her daughter tightly again. She kissed Vira's forehead, then stepped back from the cage and left the small room. Just seeing her only child again brought back Alice's fighting spirit.

* * *

Even though the walls had no mirrors, the brick hallways were just as confusing as the others. Alice chose her path randomly, hoping to stumble upon the correct hallway that would lead her to the Hatter. 

She wandered until she found a hallway lined with closed doors. Every door was locked except one at the very end of the hall. When she opened it there was one short hall leading to a wide arena.

Before she stepped through the door the Cheshire Cat appeared, blocking her path. "The Hatter is quick as mercury and mad from it. I fear that time is not on your side."

Alice twirled the knife. "Time has no use for those who refuse to keep it."

The Cat disappeared, his grin lingering in the air before fading away.

Alice walked through the final hall which led to an open platform surrounded by a swirling midnight blue sky. Once she stepped onto the platform, the hall behind her disappeared. Across from her was a large clock, the hands seconds away from reaching six. Every second felt stretched out as Alice watched the hands turn.

Three…

Two…

One…

_Dong._

She listened, waiting. After the final toll of the clock, the Hatter appeared in the center of the platform. He carefully tipped his tall, checkered hat to her. "Alice."

Alice's voice was full of hate as she gripped the knife tighter. "Nice of you to finally show your face, Hatter."

The Hatter smiled. "Your attitude hasn't improved much since you were young. Your daughter is just as headstrong." He could see rage flare behind Alice's green eyes when he mentioned Vira. "I'm curious to see her reaction to the other medicines I have prepared. But don't worry dear, I'll make sure you're both in the same lab."

He started to laugh, low and sadistic, his cruel eyes locked on Alice.

His laugh was cut short when Alice sprang forward, unleashing all her fury as she swung the knife. "You won't touch her!" she screamed, severing the Hatter's arm. It fell to the floor, the wires inside it jumping and sparking.

Silvery mercury spurted from his shoulder, rather than ruby blood. He shouted with surprise rather than pain, and caught Alice's wrist with his other hand as she tried to attack him again. "Stab me all you want, Alice. I feel no pain. I'm not human." He twisted her arm hard, the same way he had twisted Vira's arm in the lab. She cried out as the knife was sent spinning from her grasp. "It could be the same way for you, my dear. Let me perfect you. I won't hurt your daughter, I will improve her."

Alice ceased her struggle for a moment, then balled her free hand into a fist and swung at the Hatter's face, connecting squarely with his jaw. He released her and staggered backwards, his remaining hand clapped to his face. She swept the knife up from the floor and charged at the tall man, running the knife straight through his chest.

There was a shriek of metal on metal as she pulled the blade out. Caught on the end was the mangled clock that had served as the Hatter's heart. Clutching the hole in his chest, the half man, half machine reached out to Alice, as if trying to take the clock back. Alice pulled it off of her knife and threw it across the arena, far out of his reach.

With nothing to keep his clockwork body running smoothly the Hatter fell to his knees. Wires and gears popped and snapped off as the machine beneath the Hatter's skin tore itself apart. He collapsed, his final words coming out in a dying robotic voice. "You will not be reunited with Vira…you will…not…will not be reunited…with…"

Alice stepped away from his broken form, panting slightly. She could hear the machines in all of the labs shutting down, their fierce power dwindling into nothing. She sighed. Now all she had to do was wait for the Gryphon and Vira.

* * *

After Alice left the room, Vira and the Gryphon sat side by side, waiting for what was to come. They watched the hands of the clock in front of them, neither speaking. The hands, which had been moving in unsystematic directions, suddenly swung around to show six o'clock. Vira looked at the Gryphon. "Do you think she'll be okay?" 

The Gryphon rustled his wings against the bars of the cage. "We can only hope."

They were waiting in anxious silence for several long minutes when the cage began to rattle. The bars on the ceiling deteriorated and the walls fell outwards. Vira leaped up and threw her arms around the Gryphon's neck. "She did it!"

He stretched his wings out to their full length. "Get on my back, we'll go to her!"

Vira grabbed her croquet mallet off of the wall and climbed on top of him with slight difficulty. She held on to the feathers on the back of his head as he pounded his wings and rose into the air, smashing the glass ceiling of the room. They were soaring through a wide sky that was such a deep color blue it was almost black. Vira gazed around them, thrilled with the free feeling of the fresh air on her face.

The Gryphon was heading for a floating platform. As they got closer Vira could see Alice standing in the center, a few feet away from the dead Hatter. As soon as she saw the body, she felt a memory surrounding her. The dark sky melted away and she was back at the table where the March Hare, Dormouse, and Hatter were taking tea with Alice.

* * *

_The Hatter was the first to break the silence. "What day of the month is it?" he said, turning to Alice. He had taken his watch out of his pocket, and was looking at it uneasily, shaking it every now and then, and holding it to his ear. _

_Alice considered a little, and then said, "The fourth." _

"_Two days wrong!" sighed the Hatter. "I told you butter wouldn't suit the works!" he added, looking angrily at the March Hare. _

"_It was the best butter," the March Hare meekly replied. _

"_Yes, but some crumbs must have got in as well," the Hatter grumbled, "you shouldn't have put it in with the bread knife." _

_The March Hare took the watch and looked at it gloomily. Then he dipped it into his cup of tea, and looked at it again, but he could think of nothing better to say than his first remark, "It was the best butter, you know." _

_Alice had been looking over his shoulder with some curiosity. "What a funny watch" she remarked. "It tells the day of the month, and doesn't tell what o'clock it is!" _

"_Why should it?" muttered the Hatter. "Does your watch tell you what year it is?" _

"_Of course not," Alice replied very readily, "but that's because it stays the same year for such a long time together."_

"_Which is just the case with mine," said the Hatter. _

_Alice felt dreadfully puzzled. The Hatter's remark seemed to have no sort of meaning in it, and yet it was certainly English. "I don't quite understand you," she said as politely as she could.

* * *

_

Vira lost the vision of young Alice and the forest faded away. She was still on the Gryphon's back, speeding to the platform.

But the closer they got, the slower the Gryphon's flight became. "Wait…this is too easy..."

Vira leaned to the side so she could see the platform. "What? What's wrong?"

He stopped moving forward and hovered in the sky. "Vira…look."

The Gryphon stretched out his large paw and it connected with something in the air. A light blue ripple, barely visible, spread out from his claws. "There's something here." He struck the spot harder. The result was several larger blue ripples that spread in a dome shape over the arena. Vira leaned farther to the side and pounded at the air with her croquet mallet. A huge light blue dome that covered the arena lit up briefly as a cascade of blue ripples was sent over it.

"It's a force field" the Gryphon said, crestfallen. "This must have been the Hatter's final creation."

Alice, who was watching the discovery from below, had come to the same conclusion. "That was what he meant" she said quietly, looking over at the Hatter's body. "He said I would never be reunited with her again." She looked up and shouted at the top of her lungs, "VIRA!"

Vira pressed her hands against the force field. "She's trying to say something! Can't she hear us? MUM! CAN YOU HEAR US?" When she heard no response she asked the Gryphon, "Didn't the Hatter's death mean he would lose all power? Why can't we go to her?" She slammed her fists against the force field, sending ripples flowing all over it. "Why?"

The Gryphon turned away from the force field. "There's nothing we can do, Vira. We'll have to press on. Alice can watch out for herself, she can find a way out."

Vira looked back at the platform as they rose steadily away from it. "But…we were _there_…I thought…" She felt a knot in her throat as tears welled in her eyes. The platform was shrinking in the distance until it was a speck in the darkness, then disappeared altogether.

"There's something you should have learned long ago, Vira" the Gryphon said. "In Wonderland, you must get used to disappointment." Streaks of black in the dark blue sky were starting to swirl around them. The Gryphon pulled his wings tight against his body. "We're entering a portal to the Land of Fire and Brimstone. Hold on."

Vira leaned forward and held on to the Gryphon tighter. They were enveloped by a rush of air as they were pulled through a swirling black and blue tunnel. There was a flash of bright light and they were taken to the new land.

She looked down at the landscape they were flying over. "This is the Land of Fire and Brimstone?"

The Gryphon nodded.

Vira leaned over so she could get a better view. The ground was covered with the fake grass that she had seen before entering the Pale Realm. Clear water collected in pools where the ground sloped. The land was actually a huge mountain dotted with rivers and plateaus, but all the rocks were covered with the pale grass. Vira was terribly confused, yet didn't want to argue with the Gryphon.

The mountain was getting higher. While watching the flowing rivers, Vira noticed something that made chills rush up and down her spine. The water was beginning to take on a red tinge. The farther the Gryphon flew the darker and more noticeable the red water became.

When they were almost to the top the Gryphon stopped flying and dropped to one of the wide ledges on the mountainside. "Let's not go any further. I don't know where Alice will be."

Vira could sense that the Gryphon had stopped for a different reason. He didn't seem to notice the red water, so she did her best to ignore it. She looked up to the highest ledge. Something was sitting on the top of the mountain. She climbed up to the next ledge with the help of the mallet. "Is that a house?"

The Gryphon was lying down near the edge, panting slightly from the flight. He was facing away from her, looking out at the rocky land. "Hmm?"

Driven by curiosity, Vira clambered to the next ledge. "Up there."

"_Yes. Come and see."_

She froze. "What?" she whispered. She had heard that same voice from the Wonderland Woods.

"_I can tell you everything you need to know."_

The voice was drawing her to the top. She felt like she should turn around and go back to the Gryphon, but some unseen force was pulling her forwards. She glanced back at the Gryphon, who was resting his head on his large paws.

"_Her past is a mystery to you, is it not? It isn't a mystery to me. Do you wish to know?"_

Vira turned back to the ledge and pulled herself up. She didn't know who the voice was, but she wanted to find out. It was talking about her mother, and it was going to tell her everything she had yearned to hear since she was young. When she stood on the top ledge she could clearly see that what she had seen _was _a house. It was an enormous white Victorian house, much larger than the one they lived in. And it was beautiful.

She no longer could control what she was doing. A force was pulling her towards the house, and she wasn't unwilling to go inside, to find the voice, to finally discover what Alice had been hiding from her.

Vira heard the Gryphon shout her name before she was sucked into the house.

* * *

Alice could only watch as Vira and the Gryphon tried to reach her. She knew they couldn't hear each other. When the Gryphon turned away and began to disappear into the dark, she heaved a sigh. "So close…" 

She walked towards the front of the giant clock where a portal had opened when the Hatter died. With a last look at the Gryphon as he vanished in the sky, she stepped through.

It brought her to the bottom of the gigantic mountain that dominated the Land of Fire and Brimstone. Rivers of lava flowed down the rocks, collecting in red hot pools. She looked up at the towering slope that marked the beginning of the mountain, feeling all her hope drain out of her.

"Vira…"

She closed her eyes and pushed the rivers of lava and the impossible climb out of her mind. She thought of Vira, standing on top of the mountain, waiting for her…then she remembered what else was on top of the mountain.

"Oh no…"

Suddenly the mountain wasn't as tall as she thought it was. She could practically see Vira, waiting, so close…

Alice took a deep breath and started to run, leaping onto the slope and clawing her way up the rocks. Her head was filled with images of Vira and what would happen if her daughter wandered too close to the top of the mountain, praying the thoughts were wrong.

* * *

Light weight too straight no reaction  
I don't care if I'm not in fashion  
I will follow you, I will follow you  
It's hearts up heads down puddle of red wine  
You get back up and you face the climb  
I will follow you 

Something in me almost breaks

But I wait  
I'm sinking in my skin  
Yeah I wait  
My heart is wearing thin  
'Cause I'm looking for  
Something beautiful

You cut me up and you make me bleed  
A sad stained heart hanging on my sleeve  
I'll still follow you, I will follow you  
But you say "look up look up look all around you  
Can't you see the love that surrounds the very soul of you?"

Something in me almost breaks

But I wait  
I'm sinking in my skin  
Yeah I wait  
My heart is wearing thin  
'Cause I'm looking for  
Something beautiful  
And I pray  
For it to come right in  
There'll come a day  
My heart is wearing thin  
That I fall upon  
Something beautiful, something meaningful

You stick your soul out risk it all  
Your fearless beauty breaks your fall

Something in me  
Knows there's something more  
And it's so close I wanna run

But I wait  
I'm sinking in my skin  
And I wait  
My heart is wearing thin  
'Cause I'm looking for  
Something beautiful  
And I pray  
For it to come right in  
There'll come a day  
My heart is wearing thin  
That I fall upon  
Something beautiful  
Something beautiful  
Something meaningful

_-Tracy Bonham  
__Something Beautiful_


	18. The Hidden Past Revealed

Vira was speechless as she looked around the inside of the house. It looked even larger than it had from the outside. There were rooms filled with elegant furniture on either side of the entrance hall. Spotless floorboards extended to the grand staircase that had clean, white carpet running down the stairs. She was gazing up at the high ceiling when she heard the voice.

_"Are you ready?"_

She looked all around her, but found no one. "It's rather unnerving that a mysterious voice knows more about my mother than I do. Couldn't you show yourself?"

_"Be patient child, I will…in time. Come upstairs if you wish to find the knowledge you pursue."_

Vira walked noiselessly across the entrance hall and approached the stairs. She held the sturdy wooden banister as she ascended each step, then hesitated at the top. She was in the middle of a long hallway, the walls adorned with pictures. There was a room at each end. Light was coming from under one of the doors, and she decided to see what was in the room. The voice spoke to her as she neared the door and slowly pushed it open.

_"This is Alice's memory of the night her childhood was shattered. This is what sent her to Rutledge's. This is what she has been hiding from you."_

Inside the room was the young Alice from the memories Vira had seen before. Alice, who looked no more than eight years old, was lying in bed, a book open on her lap. Judging by the lamp that sill flickered on a table near the end of the bed, she had fallen asleep reading. Vira slipped into the room, staying quiet even though she knew Alice wouldn't hear her. Unsure of where the voice was, she said out loud, "Memory? I thought they had to be dead for me to see the memory."

The voice's answer came with a hint of a chuckle.

_"Why wait?"_

From the corner of her eye, Vira saw a cat leap up onto the table. Before she could turn around she heard the glass lamp shatter, followed by the crackle of flames. The bright orange fire flared up and started spreading, igniting scattered books that littered the floor. Vira couldn't scream. She couldn't run. She could only watch in horror as the hungry flames consumed everything they touched. They grew higher and hotter as they climbed the wall and caught on the wallpaper in the hallway, slicing through the hall towards the other room. It wasn't long before a scream tore through the roar of the fire.

"ALICE! ALICE!"

Alice woke with a start. "Mum? Father?" She stumbled off of the bed, staggering through the thick smoke that was starting to fill her room. Vira stepped to the side as Alice pulled the door open and ran down the hall, calling for her parents, fear etched in her green eyes. "Mum! Father!"

"AAAAALICE!"

Vira followed her out into the hall, where a sheet of flame had already began to consume the walls. The timber in the doorway of Alice's room splintered and fell as it was devoured by the fire. The heat of the blaze was unbearable as Vira ran down the hall after Alice, her heart hammering in her chest. The hallway felt impossibly long, and the walls creaked and groaned all around them as the fire destroyed the wallpaper and pictures. Vira felt like the fire was scorching her skin and the smoke was burning her throat, but knew that that was impossible. This was only a memory…only a memory…

The eight year old screamed tearfully, "MUM! DAD!"

"AAAAAAALIIIIIIIICE!"

…then why did it feel so real?

The smoke had nearly claimed Alice's voice by the time she came to her parent's room. "MUM! DAD!"

She struggled with the red hot doorknob until a burst of strength driven by sheer terror allowed her to force the door open. She stood rooted to the spot, staring into the room. Vira ran up beside her and gasped at the sight of Alice's parents, tears splashing freely down her cheeks. Her father was dead, trapped under a fallen beam from the ceiling. Fire had consumed him completely, melting away his face and leaving a charred skull that watched them with empty eye sockets.

Her mother was lying near him, one arm extended as she tried to reach the door. Fire was beginning to travel up her long hair, licking at her face. She looked up at Alice from beneath a second beam that had broken her back, leaving her to burn alive. Her voice was hoarse from the thick smoke. "A-A-Alice…save yourself…g-get out…AAAAAAAAlice…"

Alice started to back away, sobbing in a broken voice, "Mum…"

The doorway fell in, blocking Alice from the ghastly sight. She wheeled around and Vira could see fright, panic, pain, and misery swirling with tears in her eyes. Alice ran straight through Vira and lurched down the stairs, crying for her parents and coughing from the smoke at the same time. The eight year old screamed as the burning stairs started to collapse behind her, then tripped and fell. She crawled across the floor as the ceiling caved in, fighting to get out the door.

Vira felt helpless as she watched from the top of the groaning stairs. "She kept this from me…"

The hallway shuddered and the whole floor fell through. Vira was thrown into darkness, the roar of the fire still surrounding her. She felt herself land on a wide platform made of charred floorboards. She was in the remains of the once-beautiful house, where traces of orange flames still flickered in the walls.

Then she heard the voice. "The secret has finally been revealed."

She was kneeling on the floor, sobbing raggedly, her face in her hands. She looked up and saw through blurry vision the source of the voice.

The strange, dragon-like creature's large claws clacked the floor methodically as he paced, his decrepit wings moving in time with a small machine that was ticking in his chest. "The fire. It drove her over the edge and made Wonderland the living hell you find it now. But, isn't it sad? Isn't it sad how Alice never shared such a life-changing event with her only daughter? Was it because she didn't trust you? She didn't think you would understand?"

Vira cringed as the monster snarled, "Or was it because she didn't _want you_?" He laughed softly, his yellow eyes narrowing. "Yes, it makes sense, don't you agree? You were never planned for. You were created _against her will_. Alice doesn't need you."

Another sob raked through her chest. The creature was getting closer, his twisted claws reaching for her neck. "Neither does Wonderland."

There was the sound of splintering wood as the Gryphon crashed through the wall and lunged at the creature's face, swinging his heavy paw. The creature fell back with a hiss of pain. "This is not over." It took to the air, smashing through the roof and escaping into the distance.

Vira turned her tearstained face up to the Gryphon. "Wh-wh-what was that thing?"

The Gryphon looked at the hole in the ceiling with disdain. "The Jabberwock, a servant to the Queen of Hearts." He looked back at Vira, his eyes full of concern. "I should have warned you, Vira. I'm sorry."

Vira struggled to stand. "It isn't your fault. Where is he going?"

"He's probably going to Queen of Hearts Land. Alice should be here soon, we should wait…but I hate to think that the Jabberwock is getting away."

"No!" Vira looked around the floor and picked up her mallet, which was lying a few feet away. "I'm not waiting for Alice. Not anymore. I can do this myself." She pointed to the hole in the ceiling. "I'm going to kill him, and I'm going to kill the Queen."

The Gryphon looked shocked. "Vira, wait…"

"I'm not waiting anymore!" Vira said forcefully. "I'm sick of waiting!" Her voice started to tighten as she tried to suppress her tears. "He told me what happened in Alice's childhood. I know she couldn't tell me about Wonderland because of the medicine, but she tried to keep the fire from me." She remembered the Jabberwock's words. She hated him, yet it all seemed to make sense. "Please…I'm not going to wait…please…"

At a loss for words, the Gryphon only nodded. "You have pure determination, Vira. If you're sure you're ready, I don't want to stop you. I can't let the Jabberwock keep his vile life any longer."

Vira clambered onto his back. "When I was growing up I always felt like she wasn't really there for me…when I came here it was like she suddenly cared…but I got this far without her and I'm still alive."

The Gryphon sighed and beat his wings, leaving the house through the hole in the roof. He rose high above the house and flew off in the same direction the Jabberwock had. Vira kept her eyes on the sky ahead, tears of anger and betrayal sliding down her cheeks.

* * *

Panting from the climb, Alice reached one of the final plateaus that led to the top of the mountain. She could see the foreboding house that cast an ominous shadow over the rocks of the mountain. She knew it was the lair of the Jabberwock. Alice stood up to finish the climb when she heard a crash from the top of the mountain echo around the rocks. Something shot up into the sky, screeching in pain, and flew off into the distance. 

Instantly she was filled with dread. She jumped to the next rock, lost her grip in her hurry, and slid back to the plateau. Again she tried to climb the rock and managed to pull herself up, but it was too late. Another shape she recognized as the Gryphon rose into the fiery orange sky and took the same direction the Jabberwock had.

She struggled up the last few rocks. The watch that had belonged to the White Rabbit still bounced around her neck, and with each beat she knew that she was late, late, late.

* * *

If you're no one 'til someone loves you  
Then you're two people maybe more  
'Cause it's not just how much I love you  
It's how much of you I adore  
I came into this world without you  
I'm going out the way I came in  
And in this life if I can not have you  
Let the roadrunner chase begin 

I walked these streets before I even knew your name  
And since you've been with me they'll never look the same

I was born without you, I was born without you  
I was born without you, why can't I live without you now?

It was the first day I can't remember  
Or the big day that I forgot  
Coming into this world of wonder  
All I know is it hurt a lot  
Now if that's what it takes to meet you  
That's as much pain as I'll allow  
If I got through the worst without you  
Why the hell can't I do it now?

I walked these streets before I ever knew your name  
And since you've been with me they'll never look the same

I was born without you, I was born without you  
I was born without you, why can't I live without you now?

_-Tracy Bonham  
__I Was Born Without You_


	19. Forgiveness

The fake grass and red water disappeared as the Gryphon left the Land of Fire and Brimstone. Vira's view of the landscape was obscured by dark clouds below them. She felt the rush of air that signaled they were entering a new part of Wonderland, then a quick flash of light. They were flying above a swirling orange ocean of lava.

"You see in the distance?" the Gryphon said, increasing his speed. Vira looked ahead of them where there was a dark, shadowed structure. "That's Queensland. Everything in front of the castle, the hedge maze and the towers, is Queen of Hearts Land."

Queen of Hearts Land ended at a steep cliff that went straight down into the lava they were flying over now. Both Vira and the Gryphon were staring ahead at the fortress. Both of them were caught completely off guard when something smashed into the Gryphon's right side and sent him spinning through the air.

Vira let out a scream as the Gryphon struggled to right himself. He beat his wings hard and hovered, searching for his attacker. Vira heard a second pair of wings beating and whipped her head around. "Behind you!"

Rather than turning to look, the Gryphon dropped down as the Jabberwock swooped over his head. "Hold on," he said to Vira as he recovered from the Jabberwock's second attack, "I have to get you on safe ground." He shot through the sky, heading for the edge of the cliff. The Jabberwock was speeding up behind him, preparing for another attack from the side. The Gryphon kicked out his back leg and caught the monster in the face with his paw. The Jabberwock hissed and dropped below them, spiraling into the smoky clouds and out of sight.

The Gryphon glided low over the ground, unsure of where the Jabberwock had gone. "Vira, jump off!"

She started to slide off the Gryphon when the Jabberwock came up from below, slamming into the Gryphon's stomach and launching him forwards. Vira was thrown from his back, landing heavily on the ground. She backed away from the edge of the cliff, helplessly watching the two creatures in the sky, knowing it would be a fight to the death.

The Gryphon regained control of his wings and dodged sideways as the Jabberwock dove at him. He grabbed the Jabberwock's neck in his powerful beak, holding the creature stationary while he tore at the mechanical wings. The Jabberwock roared and dug his claws deep into the Gryphon's back, forcing his opponent to release his neck.

Vira clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle a scream of horror as the Jabberwock's claws raked across the Gryphon's face, sending blood and feathers flying. With a second swipe of his wicked claws his shredded one of the Gryphon's wings, then grabbed his foe by the throat and hurled him down to the platform.

The Gryphon crashed in front of Vira and lay motionless. Seconds later the Jabberwock landed, ignoring the blood that was trickling from his neck. "You're going to die, Vira. It will be better for Alice if you do."

* * *

Alice stood inside the empty house, her eyes moving from the hole in the wall to the opening in the ceiling. The Cheshire Cat appeared at her side. "What are you going to do now?" 

She sighed hopelessly, "I…I don't know."

The Cat shook his head. "Wrong answer. You should know very well what you're going to do. You have to follow her. What will she think if you give up on her?"

"The Jabberwock must have told her about the fire" Alice said. "I don't know what else he might have said. She probably _wants_ me to give up on her. She probably thinks I already have."

"But you haven't" the Cat urged. "That's why you must go after her. The Jabberwock wants to kill you both. If he succeeds in killing Vira, she'll never know that you still cared about her."

Alice stood in silence for a few minutes, then looked to the bony feline. "Where are they?"

The Cat started walking towards the door. "Queen of Hearts Land. But you won't get there the same way they did, unless you quickly develop the ability to fly."

She followed him out and he led her behind the house. The rocky cliff ended and they could see nothing but dark clouds. Alice looked at the clouds doubtfully. "Now what?"

"These clouds are all part of the same portal" the Cat explained. "They'll take you to the land at the edge of where Queen of Hearts Land begins."

She peered over the edge of the rocks. "What do you want me to do?"

The Cat waved a paw, gesturing to the clouds. "Ride the wind."

Alice made sure the knife was securely in her pocket, then closed her eyes and fell forwards. She plunged into the dark clouds and was enveloped in a rush of air, followed by a flash of light. When she opened her eyes she was standing on a small ledge with the Cheshire Cat. The ledge was protruding from an impossibly steep cliff. She glanced over the edge and felt a sudden sensation of floating in midair over the sea of lava. She backed against the cliff to steady herself, but stumbled for balance as the ledge shook. Something had landed on the ground above them with incredible force. Alice whipped out her knife when she heard the Jabberwock's voice and climbed up to the platform.

"Stay on your guard" the Cat said as she pulled herself up.

* * *

"You lie." 

It was the Gryphon who had spoken. He took a shuddering breath and forced himself to his feet, standing between Vira and the Jabberwock. "You have no idea what Alice feels." With the last of his strength, the stoic Gryphon held his head high. "Vira isn't the one who will lose her life. You are."

The Jabberwock swiped the Gryphon across the face again, knocking him to the ground. He threw the mangled creature out of the way and grabbed Vira's throat, lifting her off the ground. "Let…go…" she choked, clawing at his arm.

He cruelly tightened his grip. "It's time to join your dear friend the Gryphon, Vira."

Vira was at the brink of losing consciousness when she saw her mother rise up from the edge of the cliff behind the Jabberwock. "A-A-Alice…"

"Alice isn't going to save you now" he snarled. He threw Vira to the ground next to the Gryphon and stood over her, his wicked teeth bared.

"NO!" Alice screamed as her daughter hit the ground. She ran forward and caught the Jabberwock off guard, slicing one of the wings from his back.

He spun around, rage shining in his eyes. "You!"

She ducked under his claws as he swung at her, then leaped up and cleaved his face with the knife, unintentionally cutting out his eye. He reeled sideways, thrashing his remaining wing and roaring in pain. Alice ran to Vira and tried to pull her to her feet. "Vira! Vira! Can you hear me?"

There were bright red scratches on Vira's throat. Confusion clouded her eyes. "You followed me."

Alice held back tears as she pulled Vira away from the Gryphon's body. "Of course I…"

"WRETCHED GIRL!" The Jabberwock thundered. He grabbed Alice's ankle and ripped her away from Vira, then threw her to the ground. Alice was flecked with blood as it spurted from the empty socket where the beast's eye has previously been.

Vira, still dazed from the Jabberwock's attempt to choke her, tried to crawl towards her croquet mallet. Panic flooded her when she felt something grab her wrist and pull her over the side of the cliff. She landed on a small ledge and her panic subsided when she saw the Cheshire Cat next to her. "Cat, it's you!"

"Vira, are you alright? What happened, where's the Gryphon?"

Her gaze dropped to the ground. "He fought the Jabberwock. He…he was…killed."

When she looked up the Cat's yellow eyes were fixed on her. "Why didn't you wait for Alice?"

"Why didn't I wait?" Vira repeated. "_Why didn't I wait?_" The question hit a nerve somewhere inside her. All the anger she had felt since she opened her eyes and found herself in Wonderland was growing. Not just anger at her mother, but anger at what was happening, anger at the Queen, anger at how she was left to fend for herself. It built inside of her until she couldn't stand it any longer.

"I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR ALICE MY WHOLE LIFE! As far back as I can remember she was always so distant, never really aware of what was happening around her! She would look at me but it was like she never really saw me, never noticed I was standing there! I used to wonder why, but now I know. The Jabberwock said…"

"The Jabberwock can't be trusted!" The Cat snarled, "He is trying to tear you and Alice apart and, though I hate to admit it, he's succeeding."

"But it's _true_!" Vira yelled, her voice slowly becoming weaker, "Alice never wanted me! That's why she never told me about the fire! She didn't want me to know because I was nothing but a _mistake_!"

"VIRA!" The Cat shouted, silencing her, "Alice has made bad decisions. Can you say you haven't done the same?"

The girl looked out over the lava, unable to meet the Cat's intense gaze. "She should have told me…"

"_Forgiveness_, Vira" the Cat said, grasping her shoulders with both paws, forcing her to look at him. "Do you forgive me for the way I treated you when you were taken here by a twist of fate?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He released her shoulders. "Do you forgive Alice?"

Vira looked out over the lava again. Something deep in her mind, stronger than her previous anger, was rising to the surface. The Cat saw a light come to her grey eyes he hadn't before. She looked at him. "Yes."

He grinned and disappeared.

The roar of the Jabberwock jolted her back to the present. Vira jumped and caught the edge of the cliff, pulling herself up as hastily as she could.

* * *

Alice rolled sideways to avoid the Jabberwock's claws and sprung to her feet, lashing out with the knife when the monster neared her again. Blood was pouring from his face by the time he managed to tear the knife out of her hands. He threw it behind him and slashed her across the face. Before she fell he dealt a heavy blow to her stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She staggered sideways and fell, bruised and bleeding, next to the Gryphon's body. 

Vira snatched her croquet mallet off of the ground. She had seen Alice fall before the Jabberwock and knew that she only had one chance to save her mother. Time slowed down as she ran towards the Jabberwock and leaped into the air, the croquet mallet outstretched. He turned around, a second too late. Vira caught the side of his mouth in the hooked beak of the croquet mallet. She landed on the ground and pulled hard, tearing open the Jabberwock's throat.

As Vira stood in front of the monster she heard his dying voice for the final time.

"_Vira…I gave you the truth…"_

The eyeball he had lost was on the ground in front of him. It was no longer golden and full of power. It was dead and black. Vira stepped on it, squelching it beneath her boot. "You gave me nothing but lies."

When the Jabberwock's voice didn't reply, Vira dropped her weapon and rushed to Alice, kneeling at her side. She gently lifted her mother's head off of the ground and held it in her lap. "Alice…Alice, I did it. He's dead, the Jabberwock is dead."

"Vira…" Alice's voice was hoarse. Fearsome claw marks covered her face. "I…I should have told you…" Her ragged breathing sounded like it was slowing.

"It's alright," Vira said, trying to smile even though she felt a lump rising in her throat, "I forgive you…Alice?"

Her mother's eyes closed and her head dropped to the side. She didn't respond.

Vira choked back a sob. "Mum? Mum! No, please…don't leave me…" She held Alice closer as she shook with grief. "I never meant all those things I said. I thought I did. I need you, I need your help. We have to do this together, we have to save Wonderland together, we have to go home together…don't leave me…please…"

* * *

I never said I'd lie in wait forever  
If I died, we'd be together now  
I can't always just forget her  
But she could try 

At the end of the world  
Or the last thing I see  
You are never coming home  
Never coming home  
Could I, should I  
And all the things that you never ever told me  
And all the smiles that are ever, ever, ever

Get the feeling that you're never  
All alone and I remember now  
At the top of my lungs, in my arms, she dies  
She dies

At the end of the world  
Or the last thing I see  
You are never coming home  
Never coming home  
Could I, should I  
And all the things that you never ever told me  
And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me  
Never coming home  
Never coming home  
Could I, should I  
And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me  
For all the ghosts that are never gonna catch me

If I fall  
If I fall (down)

At the end of the world  
Or the last thing I see  
You are never coming home  
Never coming home  
Never coming home  
Never coming home

And all the things that you never ever told me  
And all the smiles that are ever gonna haunt me  
Never coming home  
Never coming home  
Could I, should I  
And all the wounds that are ever gonna scar me  
For all the ghosts that are never gonna…

_-My Chemical Romance  
__Ghost of You_


	20. Acceptance

Alice looked around her. She was standing in the middle of a field of white flowers with no idea how she had gotten there. She remembered fighting the Jabberwock and falling to the ground…but then…

"What happened?" she asked out loud. In front of her was a deep, green forest. Patches of sunlight that reached through the trees dappled the ground. She longed to leave the warmth of the sun in the field and lay in the cool shade of the forest. Her legs felt weak and there was a steady throb at the back of her head. She needed to rest…to sleep in the shade…she tried to step forward but something was holding her back.

"Alice."

At the sound of her name she looked away from the forest. The Cheshire Cat had appeared quite suddenly at her side. When he said nothing else, she asked, "Cat, why can't I get into the forest?"

"The time has not yet come" the feline replied.

Alice looked back at the trees, yearning for the shade. "But I'm so tired…I want to sleep…"

The Cat shook his head. "You will never be able to truly rest in death until you have done all you can in life. Vira lives, and so must you. There will be a time when she is ready to leave your side. Until then, you cannot leave hers."

Alice's eyes closed as everything around her melted away. She opened them again and Vira's face swam into view, streaked with tears. "M-m-mum?"

"Vira." She sat up and her daughter collapsed in her arms. Alice held her tightly, never wanting to let go, glad that they had come together at last with nothing separating them.

Vira momentarily forgot everything around her. She was lost in her mother's arms. "I was so scared," she cried into Alice's shoulder, "I thought you were gone."

"I thought so too" Alice whispered into Vira's auburn hair.

At last they separated and got to their feet. Both were silent, looking down at the bodies before them. Vira was staring at the lifeless Gryphon when everything around her, including Alice, began to fade. She waited patiently as the memory materialized. Young Alice and the Gryphon were sitting on sandy ground, listening intently to a creature Vira recognized as the Mock Turtle.

* * *

"_You may not have lived much under the sea…" ("I haven't," said Alice) "…and perhaps you were never even introduced to a lobster…" (Alice began to say "I once tasted…" but checked herself hastily, and said "No, never") "…so you can have no idea what a delightful thing a Lobster Quadrille is!" _

"_No, indeed," said Alice. "What sort of a dance is it?"_

"_Why," said the Gryphon, "you first form into a line along the sea-shore…"_

"_Two lines!" cried the Mock Turtle. "Seals, turtles, salmon, and so on; then, when you've cleared all the jelly-fish out of the way…"_

"_That generally takes some time," interrupted the Gryphon. _

"…_you advance twice…"_

"_Each with a lobster as a partner!" cried the Gryphon. _

"_Of course," the Mock Turtle said, "advance twice, set to partners…" _

"…_change lobsters, and retire in same order," continued the Gryphon. _

"_Then, you know," the Mock Turtle went on, "you throw the…"_

"_The lobsters!" shouted the Gryphon, with a bound into the air. _

"…_as far out to sea as you can…"_

"_Swim after them!" screamed the Gryphon. _

"_Turn a somersault in the sea!" cried the Mock Turtle, capering wildly about. _

"_Change lobsters again!" yelled the Gryphon at the top of its voice. _

"_Back to land again, and that's all the first figure," said the Mock Turtle, suddenly dropping his voice; and the two creatures, who had been jumping about like mad things all this time, sat down again very sadly and quietly, and looked at Alice. _

"_It must be a very pretty dance," said Alice timidly. _

"_Would you like to see a little of it?" said the Mock Turtle. _

"_Very much indeed," said Alice. _

"_Come, let's try the first figure!" said the Mock Turtle to the Gryphon. "We can do without lobsters, you know. Which shall sing?" _

"_Oh, you sing," said the Gryphon. "I've forgotten the words."

* * *

_

Just as the dance began the memory melted away into nothing. Vira looked up and found Alice struggling with the Jabberwock's body. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Alice paused for a moment to answer. "A creature as vile as the Jabberwock doesn't deserve to rest here, wouldn't you agree?"

Vira nodded and joined her mother. Together, with the help of the croquet mallet as a lever, they succeeded in pushing the Jabberwock's monstrous corpse into the bubbling lava below. There was a dull sucking sound as it was consumed by the lava and disappeared from sight.

They turned away from the edge of the cliff and Vira asked, "Was the Lobster Quadrille a pretty dance?"

Alice answered without questioning how Vira knew about the dance. "Yes," she replied, "very pretty indeed."

Their eyes met and they studied each other in silence, finding small things they hadn't before. Vira had always known Alice's eyes were green, but she had never before thought about how dark the color was around the pupil, or how it spread out like the petals of a flower with a lighter shade in between. Alice found that Vira's hair was naturally streaked with light brown. It kicked up at the edges, something she'd never noticed.

Alice's clothes were as equally bloodstained as Vira's. The red scratch marks that stood out on Vira's throat matched those on Alice's face. Vira's lips parted in a grin. "Everyone thought I was you."

Her mother smiled, then started to laugh. It was free, easy laughter, something Vira had never heard before. The action surprised her at first, but as the laughter continued she couldn't help herself from joining in. Soon they were laughing together, the strange sound drifting through the still air. Laughing at themselves for finding happiness amid madness and death, laughing with relief that they would no longer have to fight alone, laughing just because they could. Both of them had stared death in the face, and now they could laugh.

The laughter subsided as they confronted the entrance to the sinister hedge maze. The archway of spiky leaves and rough branches yawned before them like the mouth of some giant serpent, waiting to devour anyone who ventured near it. Alice gave Vira's shoulder a gentle squeeze to let her know she was there.

They had only taken a few steps into the maze when the sides of the archway jumped together, the branches twisting shut and trapping them inside. Vira and Alice exchanged glances. Alice shrugged and kept walking. "Only one way to go from here."

Vira's gaze lingered on the spot where the archway had been. When the hedges didn't move again she turned away and caught up with Alice. They had been walking side by side in silence for several minutes before her mother spoke again. "Vira?"

They turned right down a fork in the path. "Hmm?"

Alice sighed. "I'm sorry. I should have told you about the fire. I used to hope that if I didn't talk about it and didn't let anyone know, it would be like it never happened. Then I…I thought I could keep you away from violence and death. I thought I was protecting you."

"It's okay" Vira said. "Just…hearing it from the Jabberwock…he took me into the memory. I was there. After I saw it, he said you never wanted me and that I would be better off dead." She turned her eyes up to Alice. "It's not to late for _you_ to tell me, you know."

There was a flash of fear in Alice's eyes, but it disappeared as quickly as it had come. "It was…awful. I didn't know which way was up. All I knew was that I was running and crying, the flames were hurting me and I wanted it to stop, and I had to get out. I felt guilty because I was the only one who had survived…"

She paused to swallow the lump that was rising in her throat. Now was the time to accept what had happened. She couldn't stop. "Not anymore. I know why I managed to get out of there alive." She remembered the meeting with the Cat in the field. "There were many more things that were meant to happen in my life. Like you, for instance."

Vira felt a jolt of guilt herself. "But you never planned for me. The Jabberwock was right, wasn't he?"

Alice took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He was right about you not being planned for, but he was wrong about how much I cared for you. The medicine that kept Wonderland from my mind made me distant from the world. I know that I wasn't always there for you. But trust me when I say that you were the one thing that kept me going. Even though I couldn't truly show it, I loved you more than life itself."

Vira smiled. "That's why you followed me."

Her mother nodded. "When you were born I was able to accept what had happened, and now I'm grateful. If you hadn't distracted me from taking the medicine I might never have returned to Wonderland."

Vira suddenly threw her arms around Alice. "I'm sorry I believed the Jabberwock. I shouldn't have listened…"

She looked up at Alice, who was smiling. "I'll forgive you if you forgive me."

Vira nodded, then backed up and looked around. They had been walking the whole time without really paying attention to which way they were turning. Now they were on a long, straight path. Farther down, another path ran perpendicular to the one they were on.

In the silence they heard a faint hissing sound. As the sound grew louder, Alice said, "It's the leaves. They're rustling."

Before Vira could reply the ground started to shake and crack, then started pulling apart. A gap was opening between them, slowly pulling them away from each other. Alice backed up a step and crouched down, her eyes locked on the ground where Vira stood.

"No. Not again" she hissed under her breath. She sprung across the space, landing on the edge of the gap. Vira grabbed her wrist and pulled her to safety.

They stood side by side, hands latched on wrists, until the ground stopped moving. Vira noticed the concern in Alice's voice as she spoke. "Someone must know we're here."

Without hesitation they got on the other path Vira had seen earlier. Alice's eyes roved the hedges, wondering what horrors could be concealed behind every corner. Not much was known about the maze, but she knew that the closer they got to the Queen of Hearts the worse the danger would become. Alice was pulled out of her thoughts when she bumped into Vira, who had stopped suddenly.

Before she could apologize Vira held up a hand for silence. She was staring at the corner of the maze they had been walking to. In a quick, experienced move, she swung the mallet and launched a croquet ball straight into the forehead of whatever rounded the corner.

They approached the body together and Vira gasped in shock. "What is that?"

The body was a giant playing card, a three of diamonds. A long, sharp spear it hadn't had a chance to use was lying beside it. Its wrinkled, pinched face was partly obscured by the croquet ball embedded in its skull.

Alice backed away from it, gently pulling Vira with her. "It's a card guard, the soldiers of the Queen. That's strange...usually there's more than one…"

She was cut off by the hissing sound they had heard before. The leaves were shaking and vibrating, giving the impression that the whole maze was trembling. Vira looked down. "Is the ground moving again?"

Alice shook her head. Over the hissing she could hear footsteps. "No. It's the army."

The footsteps were growing louder than the leaves, pounding the ground, getting closer. Vira looked up at Alice. "What do we do?"

Alice spun around, expecting to see the guards surrounding them. They weren't, not yet. "Run."

They took to their heels. The footsteps of the army were all around them, threatening to burst through the shivering walls of the labyrinth and end their quest and their lives.

* * *

5-4-3-2-1 let's start a fire  
Burn this town from inside out  
Till no ones left alive  
And you can't feel the rhythm of your steps when you hit the street.  
Sixteen is so far away from here, when you're counting every step. 

5-4-3-2 what are you waiting for?  
The train is catching up, keep on running don't look back.  
'Cause it's 10-9-8-7 everybody's coming to burn this city, burn this city down tonight.  
Leave it all behind.

All his life he lived in this same house.  
Same white fence surrounding him, he swore he would get out.  
But he can't cause his foot got caught in between in the rails.  
And all his friends were all up ahead  
They can't hear him yelling, yelling for some help.  
And it's much too late to call the doctor now.  
This town is full of sympathies; we're drowning in it all.

5-4-3-2 What are you waiting for?  
The train is catching up, keep on running don't look back.  
'Cause its 10-9-8-7 everybody's yelling to burn this city, burn this city down tonight.  
Leave it all behind.

This is the sound of the gate coming down, no flashing lights, no warning.  
When we press our ears to the ground we feel the shake.  
But it's under the skin, so we wilt like violets.  
Can't get up, to put the petals in their place.

5-4-3-2 What are you waiting for?  
Burn this city, burn this city tonight.

_-Thursday  
__Counting 5-4-3-2-1_


	21. Minds of Madness: The Cheshire Cat

I drop to the ground, exhausted. I had done what, even in Wonderland, is something many consider impossible. I had gone to the brink of death and back. I had saved Alice. If Vira hadn't been alive, Alice would have nothing to come back for. She would have stepped into the shade of death and nothing would save her.

It took everything in me to stop her, but somehow I survived. Now I sit at the edge of Queensland. I choose to stay invisible to the woman I kept alive and the girl who unknowingly helped me to do so. I concentrate on regaining my strength, watching them but not really seeing them. As I attempt to stand I hear something I haven't heard in years.

Laughter.

Not insane or maniacal. Pure, true laughter. I can't understand it at first, but I try to make sense of it anyway. Nothing should seem strange to me…but this is.

As I watch Vira's sparkling grey eyes I remember how cold I had been. How distant I wanted to be from her. I was afraid she would make me forget Alice, and I never wanted to do that.

Never.

But I didn't forget Alice. Vira's arrival brought her back. I realized what a mistake I had made in treating her so bitterly, and I hoped it wasn't too late to regain her trust. She has forgiven me. Now they face the serpentine hedge maze, standing together. Together, the way a mother and daughter should. They are swallowed by the entrance and I am left alone on the edge of the world. After what feels like an eternity I have recovered enough strength to stand. Just as I start toward the maze I feel something in the ground that freezes me in my tracks. It's the unmistakable tremor of the marching card guards, searching for Alice and Vira.

They appear from around the side of the maze and, finding the main entrance twisted shut, go back the way they came. Immediately I'm jolted into a state of panic. There are many ways into the maze…but only one way out. Disregarding the weakness I had previously felt, I run for the maze. Bounding along the side, I search for another way in. I find none.

In a burst of desperation, I leap straight onto the wall with extended claws and begin the climb. The wicked branches are sharp and hooked, tearing at me as I struggle higher. Leaves like razor blades slice at my face but I hardly feel the pain. Alice and Vira are all that matter now. By the time I reach the top I've worked myself into a frenzy, my blood coursing hot and fast through my veins. A rumble from deep within the ground forces me to jump down. I land hard, but manage to stay on my feet.

Pain accompanies every step as I charge through the maze. In a way it is comforting. I know that as long as I feel pain I'm alive. The pain won't last for much longer. I knew my time would come, I just didn't know when. Now I'm sure of it. The night I became sure of it was the night Alice lost everything. This is the last time I can help her and Vira. They must get out of this maze alive.

I will not.

* * *

I am waiting 'til there's nothing left  
I'm a prayer, all you see is breath  
I am empty, I am skin and bones, I'm a rib cage  
I am out the door with apathy  
But I'm coming home with sympathy  
I am realized, I am shamed, I choose to stay here 

You got a sign, so I paid a ransom  
You felt sorry, so I felt a wrath come  
Had a nice grip on my life 'til you twisted my arm

There's a song I love so much I stole  
Every precious note I took I sold  
Now I spit out words  
Do you see my lungs on the dance floor?  
To a hopeless cause I sold my soul  
A romantic plastic piece of shit you can mold  
Until I break into chokable pieces

I open up like the back of a book  
I ruin everything with just a quick look  
And I settle down like a rocket explodes  
Hit the ground, but how far out who knows

_-Alkaline Trio  
__I Was a Prayer_


	22. The Only Ones Left

Vira was struggling to keep up with Alice as they wound through the maze, unable to escape the steady beat of the army's footsteps. "It's no use! We'll never get out of here!"

Alice slowed her pace slightly so her daughter could catch up. "We can't stop, Vira. There _is_ a way out, it can't be much farther."

They whipped around a corner and came face to face with the army. Alice gasped and backed down the broad path they had just been running on. She clenched her hand around the knife and kept herself partially in front of Vira. A large heart card that stood in the lead shouted, "You know the Queen's orders! KILL HER!"

"ALICE!"

The Cheshire Cat leaped over her head and struck down the heart card. "Back this way! Follow me!"

He raced back down the path with Alice and Vira at either side. As they ran, Vira noticed a trail of blood on the ground being left by gashes on the cat's face and legs. "Cat," she said, shocked that he was still on his feet, "you're bleeding!"

"Had to…climb…the walls…" he panted.

The path ended and the three of them skidded to a stop. It was a dead end. The shouts and thundering footsteps of the army could be heard drawing closer. Alice's eyes were wide as she looked over the Cat's fresh wounds. The fur on his paws and face was matted with blood. Broken pieces of branches still jutted from the cuts they had made. "Cat…"

"Don't worry about me" he said between ragged breaths. He stepped closer to the wall and lifted his paw. Alice and Vira got a quick glimpse of its scraped and torn underside before he plunged it into the leaves. He winced as the leaves and branches pushed into the wounds, but didn't remove his paw until the wall slid aside to reveal a short path leading to a portal. "You two need to get yourselves out."

Alice didn't move. "We're not leaving you here."

The army appeared around the corner, moving quickly in a wave of spears.

The Cat left the portal and stood in front of Alice and Vira. "Join hands as you go through. That portal can only be used once."

"Cat, we're not…"

"Go, Alice. Even if I went with you I wouldn't stay alive. My life doesn't matter anymore." His voice had a strange calm to it, even as he stood facing down the army.

"Don't say that!" Alice shouted. "It _does _matter!"

The Cat ran forward, leaving bloody paw prints on the ground. He sprang into the air to meet the barrage of cards, claws and teeth bared. Alice went after him but Vira caught her wrist. "Mum, no!"

"Let go!" Alice screamed, her tears tying a knot in her throat. "I have to help him!"

The cards were beginning to overwhelm him, but he went on fighting. As Vira dragged Alice back towards the portal she heard him shout, "You are our hope! You are our saviors! Remember, time must fly in the final fight for Wonderland!"

Vira saw him go down as she stepped backwards into the portal, still holding Alice's wrist. They were enveloped by a rush of air as the portal carried them away from the maze. When the air subsided they were in a cool, dimly lit corridor.

She didn't see much of the corridor before the stone walls swirled away, leaving her in a memory. Young Alice was standing before a tall tree, looking up at the branches. The healthy form of the Cheshire Cat was watching her the same way from one of the branches. His grin was warm and gentle, not yellowed and bloodstained as Vira knew it.

* * *

_The Cat only grinned when it saw Alice. It looked good-natured, she thought: still it had very long claws and a great many teeth, so she felt that it ought to be treated with respect. _

"_Cheshire Puss" she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name. However, it only grinned a little wider. "Come, it's pleased so far" thought Alice, and she went on. "Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"_

"_That depends a good deal on where you want to get to" said the Cat. _

"_I don't much care where" said Alice. _

"_Then it doesn't matter which way you go" said the Cat. _

"…_so long as I get somewhere" Alice added as an explanation. _

"_Oh, you're sure to do that," said the Cat, "if you only walk long enough." _

_Alice felt that this could not be denied, so she tried another question. "What sort of people live about here?" _

"_In that direction," the Cat said, waving its right paw round, "lives a Hatter; and in that direction," waving the other paw, "lives a March Hare. Visit either you like; they're both mad." _

"_But I don't want to go among mad people" Alice remarked. _

"_Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat, "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."_

"_How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice. _

"_You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn't have come here."

* * *

_

The memory left her back in the damp corridor of the Queen's castle. She could hear Alice crying softly beside her. "Why did you leave him?"

Vira played the Cat's words over in her head. "It was what he wanted." She was reminded of Etam and how he died fighting the Red chess pieces. "You saw how badly hurt he was."

Tears still lingered in Alice's eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand, her voice barely audible. "Right."

"We're all Wonderland has left. We can still save them. The Rabbit, the Gryphon, the Cat…we can save them all."

Alice nodded. They looked down both ends of the stone hallway, uncertain of which way to choose. "Where do we go now?"

Vira smiled to herself. "It depends on where you want to get to."

She looked up and found that Alice was smiling too. "I don't much care where."

"Then it doesn't matter which way you go." Vira glanced up and down the hall again.

Alice chose a direction and they started walking together. "…so long as we get somewhere…"

"And we're sure to do that," Vira added, "if only we walk long enough."

They continued down the corridor with identical Cheshire Cat grins.

* * *

Please don't ask me how  
I ended up at my wits end and breaking down  
Pages torn from books we never read  
Because we're plugged into this grid  
Don't pull this plug right now or then we'd really have to live 

When I die will they remember not what I did but what I haven't done?  
It's not the end that I fear with each breath, it's life that scares me to death

When we build these dreams on sand  
How they all slip through our hands  
This might be our only chance

Let's take this one day at a time  
I'll hold your hand if you hold mine  
The time that we kill keeps us alive

Your words won't save me now  
I'm at the edge feeling the sweat drip from my brow  
Get a grip on yourself is what they say  
Every hour every day  
Hands over my ears, I've been screaming all these years

When I die will they remember not what I did but what I haven't done?  
It's not the end I fear with each breath, it's life that scares me to death

When we build these dreams on sand  
How they all slip through our hands  
This might be our only chance

Let's take this one day at a time  
I'll hold your hand if you hold mine  
The time that we kill keeps us alive

We came in search of answers  
We left empty handed again  
Shots fired into the sky are now returning  
Where the fuck will you hide?

Hiding from the laughter in the closet of our lives  
But the door hinges are squeaking letting in thin shards of light  
And now a hand's extending outward, quiet comfort they invite  
Do we dare take what they offer, do we step into the light?

When I die will they remember not what I did but what I haven't done?  
It's not the end I fear with each breath, it's life that scares me to death

When we build these dreams on sand  
How they all slip through our hands  
This might be our only chance

Let's take this one day at a time  
I'll hold your hand if you hold mine  
The time that we kill keeps us alive

_-Rise Against  
Rumors of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated_


	23. Revelation in Black

As they walked through the winding corridor, Vira's head was spinning with questions. Never before had she had a chance to ask about Alice's childhood. Now she had all the time in the world, yet she couldn't bring herself to say anything. It wasn't long before she decided she had to break the ominous silence that dominated the hallway.

"Mum?"

Alice looked over at her. "Hmm?"

Vira paused for another moment, then asked, "What was Wonderland like before…well…the fire?"

Her mother smiled. "Oh, that was so long ago, but I do remember what it was like. It was strange, nonsensical…but I liked it. Life at home would be tedious sometimes, but never in Wonderland. I would have tea with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare...the chess pieces were always interesting to talk to. I could always manage to find someone I hadn't met before. The creatures could be mischievous, but not malicious. Not like now."

She went on, but her smile was beginning to fade. "Then there was the fire, and Rutledge's right after that. It was too much for the innocent world of Wonderland. I can't remember any one event from the asylum, they've all melted together. I just remember that it was cold, dark, empty…I couldn't even find peace in Wonderland any more."

Vira was starting to feel like she shouldn't have said anything. "I'm sorry…"

"No, no," Alice said, "you don't need to be sorry. Not talking about it won't mean it never happened."

Vira nodded and Alice continued. "But I do remember what it felt like to be wrenched out of Wonderland by the medicine. Life after Rutledge's became a blur as well." Her smile returned as she said, "Now I'm all caught up."

Neither of them were surprised when the hallway took a sharp turn and suddenly opened up into a wide room with a high dome ceiling. The dark stone walls of the room were engraved with all four suites of cards and strange symbols. A ramp led up to a set of doors with one blood red heart carved on them.

Fear was twisting inside of Vira. "Is…is this the throne room?"

Alice's eyes were fixed on the set of doors. "This is it."

Vira took a few timid steps forward. Alice started to follow when she saw a shadow fall over Vira. At that very moment several things flashed in her mind at once.

_The Duchess's corpse becoming the lifeless Vira._

_The Rabbit as he lay crushed and bleeding._

_Vira's corpse becoming Alice._

She ran forward and pushed Vira as hard as she could. She saw her daughter tumble out of the shadow and

time

slowed

to

a

stop.

_Thud._

Vira hit the ground, panicked and confused. She struggled to right herself, pushing her hair out of her face. "Mum?"

All she saw was a huge tentacle lift off of the ground. Beneath it was Alice. Vira crawled forward and kneeled beside her, shocked into silence. Blood was spreading across the stones in a crimson puddle, seeping from her broken legs and most of her upper body.

"Vira…"she croaked. The life was slowly wheezing out of her crushed lungs. "Take…the…watch…"

A twisted, broken watch was lying near the dying Alice. Vira reached out and picked it up. "I…"

Alice smiled. "'S up to you…Vira…it's…you…" Her emerald eyes clouded over and closed as her body went limp.

Vira didn't move. She kneeled next to her mother's corpse, head bowed, waiting. When she looked up she was kneeling in a bed of flowers, right next to the young Alice.

* * *

_Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do. Once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversation?" _

_So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her. _

_There was nothing so very remarkable in that; nor did Alice think it so very much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!" (when she thought it over afterwards, it occurred to her that she ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually took a watch out of its waistcoat-pocket, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Alice started to her feet, for it flashed across her mind that she had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, she ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge._

_In another moment down went Alice after it, never once considering how in the world she was to get out again.

* * *

_

When the memory left Vira in the cold throne room she stood up. She couldn't cry. So many of her tears had been shed in Wonderland, she wasn't sure she had any left. Besides, Alice wouldn't want her to cry. She slid the watch in her pocket and picked up her croquet mallet.

Turning to the doors of the throne room, she took a deep breath and straightened her spine. There was no turning back now. Alice was dead and she was truly alone. Pushing the doors open, she strode into the room, her previous fear leaving her completely.

She walked down the dimly lit hall and stopped in the patch of darkness before the throne of the Queen of Hearts. The tyrant leaned forward slightly, the light over her throne catching her hard features. She wore a red crown that branched off and curled like the horns of a mountain goat. As she stared at Vira her black eyes narrowed. "Alice? No, it can't be! You're dead!"

Vira stepped into the light. "I am the daughter of Alice."

The Queen leaned back in her throne, her cold glare never leaving Vira. "What do you want?"

"I want you dead" Vira hissed.

The Queen scoffed. "You think you're the savior of Wonderland?" She stood up and her voice became a deafening roar. "STUPID, INSOLENT GIRL! HOW DARE YOU CHALLENGE ME!"

She slammed her fist down on the arm of the throne and the entire room was thrown into darkness. Vira was filled with the sensation of falling as the wicked voice of the Queen echoed around her.

"OFF WITH HER HEAD!"

* * *

I've got my heart crammed in a bottle  
And all the while I fought so little  
What is this fear we hold so deeply  
To stand alone, alone completely  
It's do or die it's now or never  
It's cats and dogs, it's helter skelter 

Till I'm free  
Yeah free  
Something inside me is begging to be free

We hardly live for fear of dying  
Then fall asleep and call it living  
I hardly love for fear of losing  
I'll hardly lose yet I'm not loving

Till I'm free  
Yeah free  
Something inside me is begging to be free  
Something inside me is begging to be free

Free yeah free  
Something inside me is begging to be free  
Something inside me is begging to be free

_-Tracy Bonham  
Freed_


	24. Confrontation in Red

Vira slammed onto solid ground, the unexpected impact causing her to let go of the croquet mallet. Still in darkness, she frantically felt around for it. She had no idea how she would use it to stop the Queen, but anything was better than nothing. At last she felt the solid flamingo head and pulled it to her side.

The Queen's voice had died away, and silence now permeated the sinister darkness. Vira carefully stood up, holding the mallet ready. She heard a creak from somewhere in the blackness that surrounded her. She said in a voice that was barely a whisper, "Come on. I'm waiting."

A sudden bright light flashed from nowhere, briefly illuminating her surroundings. She was standing on a platform that was floating a few feet away from a towering, shadowy mass. She snapped her head up and saw a tentacle plummeting towards her. With a cry of effort, she launched herself sideways as the Queen's tentacle smashed onto the spot where she had been standing. The slimy appendage lifted away and the light went out.

There was a moment of eerie silence. She started to get up, but dropped back to a crouch when she heard the Queen moving. Then…nothing.

Vira gritted her teeth. "Coward."

The light flared up again and a tall shadow fell over Vira. The Queen was behind her. She leaped sideways as another tentacle crashed onto the platform. This time Vira didn't stop moving. She started running as tentacles slammed onto the platform all around her. The light was flashing wildly now as the Queen's attempts grew more vicious. Vira was getting dizzy, struggling to keep her balance as she ran on.

Suddenly she skidded to a stop and whirled around to face the monster. Before a tentacle could be raised, Vira fired a croquet ball as hard as she could. There was a satisfying crunch and a roar of pain from the Queen. She sunk out of sight below the platform and the light went out.

Vira dropped to her knees, breathing hard. She hadn't beaten the Queen. She had only angered her. "I can't do this alone" she said quietly. "Alice…I need Alice…"

_Vira…_

She looked up, alarmed. Was that the voice of the Cheshire Cat? Cautiously she looked around. All she saw was the darkness. "Cat?"

_The watch, Vira. Remember what I said._

Quickly she reached into her pocket. The broken face of the watch was glowing blue. "What is…"

_You're not really alone. We're with you. We are the loyal souls of Wonderland._

She held the watch closer. "Can you help me?"

_Remember what I said. Time must fly in the final fight for Wonderland._

Behind Vira, a hulking shadow rose from the depths of the arena. One long tentacle started to slither towards her.

_Time must fly in the final fight._

She let out a scream as the tentacle wrapped around her waist and yanked her into the air. Slowly it started to tighten, closing around her chest, constricting her breath. She still gripped the watch, the face shining blue between her fingers.

_Time must fly._

Grinding her teeth against the pain she stretched her arm as far back as she could. Feeling her consciousness starting to slip away, she threw the watch with all of her strength, straight into the mass of evil and hatred that was the Queen of Hearts.

The tyrant started to groan and hiss, then shuddered and started writhing in pain, roaring and screaming as the loyal souls tore her apart from the inside. The tentacle that was holding Vira withered away and disappeared. Plunging through the darkness, Vira saw the Queen let out a final scream before she was ripped to shreds.

The Queen of Hearts was no more.

Since she was still dizzy and out of breath, it took Vira a few minutes to realize she had stopped falling. She was sitting in the middle of a garden with rose bushes all around her. When she glanced sideways and saw the young Alice, she knew that she was in the last memory.

* * *

_When the procession came opposite to Alice, they all stopped and looked at her, and the Queen said severely, "Who is this?" She said it to the Knave of Hearts, who only bowed and smiled in reply. _

"_Idiot!" said the Queen, tossing her head impatiently; and, turning to Alice, she went on, "What's your name, child?" _

"_My name is Alice, so please your Majesty," said Alice very politely; but she added, to herself, "Why, they're only a pack of cards, after all. I needn't be afraid of them!" _

"_And who are these?" said the Queen, pointing to the three gardeners who were lying round the rosetree; for, you see, as they were lying on their faces, and the pattern on their backs was the same as the rest of the pack, she could not tell whether they were gardeners, or soldiers, or courtiers, or three of her own children. _

"_How should I know?" said Alice, surprised at her own courage. "It's no business of mine."_

_The Queen turned crimson with fury, and, after glaring at her for a moment like a wild beast, screamed "Off with her head! Off—"_

"_Nonsense!" said Alice, very loudly and decidedly, and the Queen was silent.

* * *

_

"Vira…Vira…please, wake up!"

When the memory disappeared, Vira found that she was lying on her back, looking into the concerned eyes of her mother. "Mum!"

She sat up and Alice threw her arms around her, hugging her tightly. "I knew you could do it, I knew you could! Oh, Vira, you've done it! Wonderland is free!"

They were in the middle of a lush green field, near the Wonderland Woods. The Cheshire Cat, the Rabbit, and the Gryphon were standing with them. Rabbit smiled at Vira. "Well done, you two."

Alice stood up and helped Vira to her feet. "I think it's time for us to go home."

"Oh…" Rabbit's smile faded. He looked back at the Cheshire Cat, who also looked uncertain.

Alice looked from one to the other. "What's the matter?"

"You see…" Rabbit started, "it's just that…well…"

"What? What is it?" Alice asked again.

Rabbit sighed. "Alice, you died in Wonderland. When Wonderland was restored, you were restored with it. That means…you're one of us, now." He looked down at the ground. "I'm sorry, but you can no longer return to the Outside World as a human."

Alice was clearly dismayed. "Well…can't Vira stay here?"

Rabbit shook his head. "She won't be able to survive here. Now that Wonderland is restored, those from the Outside cannot enter it. She will never be able to return."

Alice looked to her daughter. Quietly, she asked, "So…what do you think?"

Vira considered for a moment, then said, "I think I'll be alright."

Alice said with a smile, "Of course you will." She reached out to touch Vira's shoulder, but her hand passed through Vira as if she wasn't there. With a sigh, Alice stepped back as she watched her fourteen year old daughter disappear. "I'll see you again, Vira. I swear I will." Holding back tears, she said, "I love you."

Vira raised her hand in farewell. "I love you…"

"…too." She was standing in the field of white flowers, facing the rabbit hole.

Slowly she turned on her heel. The sun was still shining, the forest moving in the slight breeze. It was as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever occurred. Then, with a heavy sigh, she collapsed in the field of flowers and cried herself to sleep.

When she awoke the sun had made considerable progress through the sky. She guessed it was sometime in late noon. She stood up, gingerly brushing white petals from her hair. She was about to start walking home when a sound behind her made her turn. Standing near the rabbit hole was a thin, grey cat. Beside it was a small, white rabbit. Vira couldn't help but smile at what sat behind both of them.

It was a beautiful wolf, with fur colored so dark blue it was almost black. Its stomach and chest were covered in white, and it watched her with deep green eyes. It was still for a few minutes, then bowed its head. Vira bowed her head in return and walked back through the field of flowers, back through the woods, back home.

* * *

Lie in comfort of sweet calamity with nothing left to lose. Like in the darkness, I'm slowly drowned to sleep nothing left to lose. Three tears I've saved for you. I'd retrace the steps that lead me here but nothing lives behind me. So I lie in this field bathed in the light that loves me, with nothing left to lose. Three tears I've saved for you. Will you be my beloved? Will you help me to get through? Will you be my destruction? Will you help me to be through? 

_-AFI  
__Ever and a Day_


	25. Never Alone

With utmost care, Vira set the teapot down on the tray. She arranged four teacups and saucers around it, then picked up the tray and went to the back door. Balancing the tray on one hand, she pushed the door open and stepped into the backyard. Keeping the tray as still as she could so the cups wouldn't rattle, she walked through the woods she had always known.

She paused when she came to the field, searching the other side for signs of movement. She saw Rabbit sit up in the middle of the field and made her way towards him. Together they walked to the rabbit hole where the Cat and Alice were waiting.

Vira set the tray down on the ground and passed out the teacups. "Here. Rabbit, that's yours, and Cat, and mum."

The wolf smiled. "Thank you, dear. It's nice to see you again."

Vira returned the smile and poured the tea. "So tell me, how have the White pieces been?"

The conversation went on, drifting through the trees and up into the cloudless sky. In the back of her mind, the grey eyed girl knew that she would always be alone in the house. But she also knew that she would always have the wolf with the emerald eyes.

* * *

I wanna have the same last dream again  
The one where I wake up and I'm alive  
Just as the four walls close me within  
My eyes are open up with pure sunlight  
I'm the first to know  
My dearest friends  
Even if your hope has burned with time  
Anything that is dead shall be re-grown  
And your vicious pain, your warning sign  
It will be fine 

Hey you, here I am  
And here we go  
Life's waiting to begin

Any type of love it will be shown  
Like every single tree reach for the sky  
If you're gonna fall  
I'll let you know  
That I will pick you up  
Like you for I  
I felt this thing  
I can't replace  
Where everyone was working for this goal  
Where all the children left without a trace  
Only to come back as pure as gold  
To recite this song

Hey you, here I am  
And here we go  
Life's waiting to begin  
Tonight  
Hey you, here I am  
And here we go  
Life's waiting to begin  
Tonight  
Hey you, here I am  
And here we go

I can not live  
I can't breathe  
Unless you do this with me

Hello here I am (do this with me)  
Here we go  
Let's go life is waiting to begin (do this with me)  
Hello here I am (do this with me)  
Here we go  
Let's go life is waiting to begin (do this with me)

_-Angels and Airwaves  
The Adventure_


End file.
